STORY: :: Trump says he's directing the Energy Department to issue funds to keep coal plants online
:: February 11, 2026
"I'm directing the Department of Energy to issue funds to coal plants in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and Kentucky to keep them online and keep those plants open." // "That's why I'm also pleased to announce that in just a moment, I will sign an executive order that directs the Department of War to work directly with coal plants on the new power purchasing agreements, ensuring that we have more reliable power and stronger and more resilient grid power. And we're going to be buying a lot of coal through the military now and it's going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years."
Trump announced that the Energy Department will provide six coal plants in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia with $175 million for upgrades.
That funding comes from the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed during the Biden administration that had been earmarked for rural capacity and energy affordability coal projects.
Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, has promised to fast-track energy infrastructure to meet rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence and data centers, declaring an "energy emergency" to keep the United States competitive.
