Coal Boost: Trump Eyes $700 Million Support

A White House source says President Trump may announce a new plan to use the 1950 Defense Production Act for coal. The proposal would channel almost $700 million into upgrading more than a dozen power plants, building a large export terminal on the West Coast, and matching corporate money for new facilities. The official spoke anonymously to avoid influencing the president’s timing and warned that details could still change. Trump’s administration has framed energy policy as a national security issue. It claims that domestic data centers need reliable power and that foreign competitors who own large fossil fuel reserves must be checked. Yet coal has declined sharply in the United States. Once supplying over half of electricity, it now accounts for less than a fifth of generation.Many utilities have moved to cheaper natural gas and renewable sources. Concerns about climate change and fragile global supply chains have pushed the industry away from coal. The new funding would reverse that trend by investing heavily in fossil fuel infrastructure. The $700 million is broken down as follows: more than half would go to upgrading 13 coal plants. $185 million would match corporate investments in facilities located in Alaska, Maryland and West Virginia. An additional $75 million would fund the long‑delayed West Gateway export terminal in Northern California. Bloomberg first reported the plan. If approved, the move would signal a shift back toward coal despite broader industry trends and environmental pressures.