The US is officially back in the ‘beautiful’ coal business.
Even as other countries around the world — with the exception of China and India — are scaling back or even banning its use, US president Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a sweeping executive order to reclassify coal as a “mineral” and outlaw what he termed “discrimination” against its use.
It marks a sharp reversal from longstanding US climate policy and placing the country at odds with allies working to phase the fuel out entirely.
The order gives coal new legal standing under previous wartime-era mining directives and instructs federal agencies to fast-track permits, prioritize coal mining on federal lands and exempt coal projects from some environmental reviews.
Trump also directed the Department of Energy to explore labelling coal a “critical mineral,” potentially giving it preferential treatment under federal resource regulations.
Trump, who has long hailed coal as “BEAUTIFUL,” framed the move as a patriotic defense of America’s energy independence and grid reliability.
“Coal is indestructible,” Trump said earlier this year. “We have more coal than anyone, and now we’re finally going to use it.”
The executive order also calls on regulators to prevent policies or regulations Trump claims unfairly penalize coal in favor of renewable or cleaner energy sources. A White House fact sheet even suggests coal could be used to power artificial intelligence systems, though it offered no details on how that would actually work.
Trump’s push comes at a time when much of the world is moving in the opposite direction.
Countries like Canada have implemented outright bans on coal-fired power generation and are targeting a full phase-out of coal production within the decade. The European Union and several Asian economies have placed heavy carbon penalties on coal use, citing its disproportionate contribution to climate change.
Environmentalists were quick to condemn Trump’s move as both “economically backward” and “environmentally reckless.”
“Coal kills,” said Sierra Club executive director Ben Jealous. “This order isn’t about jobs or the grid — it’s about dragging America into a dirtier, more dangerous past.”
Coal once powered more than half of US electricity, but its share has fallen to around 16% as of 2023, largely supplanted by natural gas, which is cheaper, more efficient and emits roughly half the greenhouse gases.
Still, industry groups argue that coal remains essential for grid reliability, especially in the face of rising demand from data centers, electric vehicles, and AI technologies.
“You can’t run a 24/7 economy on sunshine and breezes alone,” said Rich Nolan, CEO of the National Mining Association, praising Trump’s order as “a necessary correction.”
To bolster his coal revival effort, Trump has forged ahead with a new “National Energy Dominance Council,” a body tasked with slashing regulatory red tape and promoting fossil fuel development—including oil, gas, and now coal.
While Trump’s order may energize some regions historically tied to coal — like West Virginia and the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana — energy analysts caution that the market may ultimately decide coal’s fate, not politics.
Natural gas is still cheaper. Renewables are getting more competitive. And even utilities that own coal plants are increasingly investing elsewhere. And in fact, almost all of US emissions reductions over the past two decades can be attributed to fuel switching from coal to gas.
That trend may be difficult to reverse, no matter how many executive orders are signed.
“In America, we don’t give up on things that work,” Trump said Tuesday. “Coal works. And under my watch, it’s coming back.”
