"Actions by the Energy and Interior departments and the Environmental Protection Agency follow executive orders Trump issued in April to revive coal, a reliable but polluting energy source that's long been shrinking amid environmental regulations and competition from cheaper natural gas. Environmental groups denounced announcement, which come as the Trump administration has clamped down on renewable energy, including freezing permits for offshore wind projects, ending clean energy tax credits and blocking wind and solar projects on federal lands."
"Under Trump's orders, the Energy Department has required fossil-fueled power plants in Michigan and Pennsylvania to keep operating past their retirement dates to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars. The latest announcement would allow those efforts to expand as a precaution against possible electricity shortfalls. Trump also has directed federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining and prioritize coal leasing on U.S. lands."
The administration will open 13 million acres of federal land for coal mining and provide $625 million to recommission or modernize coal-fired power plants. Energy, Interior and EPA actions follow executive orders aimed at reviving coal despite its pollution and long-term market decline amid cheaper natural gas. Environmental groups condemned the move as part of a broader clampdown on renewable energy, including frozen offshore wind permits, ended clean energy tax credits and blocked wind and solar projects on federal lands. The Energy Department ordered some fossil-fueled plants to operate past retirement dates to meet rising power demand. A tax bill reduced coal royalty rates from 12.5% to 7% to boost competitiveness.
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