The Trump administration is now reportedly making clear it has no intention of allowing U.S. coal plants to shut down, arguing that rising electricity demand and expanding industrial growth leave the country with no margin for further losses in reliable power generation.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the administration’s goal is to keep the entire coal fleet operating and to shape federal policy around that objective, according to Bloomberg. Burgum said officials are treating full operational capacity as the standard when making decisions that affect coal-fired power plants.
Burgum made the comments at the first meeting of the reconstituted National Coal Council, which had lapsed under former President Joe Biden and was revived under President Donald Trump. Trump moved early in his second term to reverse the prior administration’s energy policies, ordering regulatory rollbacks and emergency actions aimed at stopping coal plants from being forced offline.
Administration officials argue the push is driven by practical necessity rather than ideology. They say soaring electricity demand, combined with the need to secure the nation’s industrial and manufacturing base, makes coal generation critical to grid reliability. Officials have pointed to growing pressure from data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and heavy manufacturing, all of which are placing new strains on the power grid.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said emergency federal orders have already prevented significant portions of the coal fleet from closing. “Seventeen gigawatts of coal generation are open today that would not have been open,” Wright said, according to Bloomberg. He added that coal plants will remain online throughout the current administration.
The White House’s energy strategy sharply contrasts with analysts who predict natural gas and renewable energy will continue to displace coal. The administration has countered that affordability and reliability, not emissions targets, must guide policy, particularly as Republicans head into high-stakes elections with control of Congress on the line.
Trump has already rolled back subsidies and regulations that favored emissions-free power. His administration has ordered certain coal plants to remain operational and recently blocked Colorado’s attempt to force the closure of a coal facility in the central part of the state. The Interior Department has also moved to open additional federal land for coal leasing in North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming.
The National Coal Council includes roughly 60 members, ranging from coal producers to utilities. Companies represented include Peabody Energy, Warrior Met Coal, Hallador Energy, and Nacco Industries. Utilities and cooperatives such as FirstEnergy and Norfolk Southern are also represented. Trump donor Joe Craft sits on the council, which is chaired by Jim Grech, with Jimmy Brock serving as vice chair.
Coal’s long-term decline remains evident. Once responsible for more than half of U.S. electricity generation, coal accounted for about 17 percent in 2025 and is projected to fall further this year, as utilities increasingly turn to cheaper natural gas and renewable sources.
The administration’s coal push is part of a broader energy dominance strategy that also includes expanding liquefied natural gas exports. A November 2025 report showed the United States set records for LNG exports, driven largely by new terminals in Louisiana and Texas, according to Reuters. Over the past two decades, the U.S. has become the world’s leading LNG exporter, reversing earlier projections that it would be a net importer, according to S&P Global.
Trump reversed the Biden administration’s freeze on new LNG export permits with a day-one executive order, tying expanded LNG capacity and continued coal operations to a single strategy focused on domestic energy production, grid reliability, and strengthening America’s position in global energy markets.
