President Donald Trump took action on Tuesday to slash regulations and expedite leases for American coal mining, lending a hand to an industry that has been rocked by the push for so-called clean energy.

Appearing at the White House in front of a group of American coal miners, Trump signed the Defense Production Act, vowing to “end the government bias against coal” and “turbo charge coal mining in America.” Trump’s order comes as he seeks to boost American energy production and use tariffs as leverage to bring manufacturing and jobs to the United States.

“We’re slashing unnecessary regulations that targeted the beautiful clean coal,” Trump said. “We will rapidly expedite leases for coal mining in federal lands … and we’ll streamline permitting. We will end the government bias against coal, and we’re going to unlock the sweeping authorities of the Defense Production Act.”

Trump blasted leftist environmental policies accepted by the Biden administration that “killed jobs” and sent prices “soaring.” Last year, former President Joe Biden ended new leases for coal mining companies, arguing that coal leasing has major effects on human health and the climate, NPR reported.

“The Biden energy policy was to put America last … not a good policy. Under my administration, we’re putting America first,” Trump said. “On my first day in office, I terminated the Green New Scam, I declared the National Energy Emergency and withdrew from the unfair, one-sided, and extremely costly to the United States only Paris Climate Accord.”

Trump’s move was praised by the National Mining Association, which called it “a stark shift from the prior administration’s punitive regulatory agenda, hostile energy policies and unlawful land grabs.”

The Trump administration has already been setting the stage for a renewed coal mining push as the Environmental Protection Agency began removing emissions and pollution restrictions on coal plant last month. The Trump administration also approved an expansion of a coal mine in Montana, and the Bureau of Land Management is looking into an emergency lease for coal mining in North Dakota, The Washington Post reported.

A core principle of Trump’s second-term agenda is expanding American energy production, a vision he regularly discussed on the campaign trail.

“We’re going to put the miners back to work,” Trump added on Tuesday. “I’ve said I was going to do this, and I’ve said it loud and clear, and it’s time to do it.”

According to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. coal output dropped 32% between 2017 and 2024, and only around 175 coal plants still generate a significant amount of electricity in the United States. Wyoming is by far the leading producer of coal in the United States, followed by West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Kentucky. The coal industry has also suffered as America has moved to more natural gas production.

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President Donald Trump took action on Tuesday to slash regulations and expedite leases for American coal mining, lending a hand to an industry that has been rocked by the push for so-called clean energy.

Appearing at the White House in front of a group of American coal miners, Trump signed the Defense Production Act, vowing to “end the government bias against coal” and “turbo charge coal mining in America.” Trump’s order comes as he seeks to boost American energy production and use tariffs as leverage to bring manufacturing and jobs to the United States.

“We’re slashing unnecessary regulations that targeted the beautiful clean coal,” Trump said. “We will rapidly expedite leases for coal mining in federal lands … and we’ll streamline permitting. We will end the government bias against coal, and we’re going to unlock the sweeping authorities of the Defense Production Act.”

Trump blasted leftist environmental policies accepted by the Biden administration that “killed jobs” and sent prices “soaring.” Last year, former President Joe Biden ended new leases for coal mining companies, arguing that coal leasing has major effects on human health and the climate, NPR reported.

“The Biden energy policy was to put America last … not a good policy. Under my administration, we’re putting America first,” Trump said. “On my first day in office, I terminated the Green New Scam, I declared the National Energy Emergency and withdrew from the unfair, one-sided, and extremely costly to the United States only Paris Climate Accord.”

Trump’s move was praised by the National Mining Association, which called it “a stark shift from the prior administration’s punitive regulatory agenda, hostile energy policies and unlawful land grabs.”

The Trump administration has already been setting the stage for a renewed coal mining push as the Environmental Protection Agency began removing emissions and pollution restrictions on coal plant last month. The Trump administration also approved an expansion of a coal mine in Montana, and the Bureau of Land Management is looking into an emergency lease for coal mining in North Dakota, The Washington Post reported.

A core principle of Trump’s second-term agenda is expanding American energy production, a vision he regularly discussed on the campaign trail.

“We’re going to put the miners back to work,” Trump added on Tuesday. “I’ve said I was going to do this, and I’ve said it loud and clear, and it’s time to do it.”

According to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. coal output dropped 32% between 2017 and 2024, and only around 175 coal plants still generate a significant amount of electricity in the United States. Wyoming is by far the leading producer of coal in the United States, followed by West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Kentucky. The coal industry has also suffered as America has moved to more natural gas production.

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