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President Signs Executive Orders Directing US Attorney General To Take Action Against States Impeding Domestic Energy Production; Rescinds Policies Transition Away From Coal; Lifts Toxics Standards For Coal Power Plants

On April 8, the President took a series of actions to promote the use of coal for power generation, prevent power plants from leaving the grid and directing the US Attorney General to take action against states that adopt requirements that impede domestic energy production.

Executive Order - Eliminating State Interference

The President signed an executive order "removing unlawful and burdensome state-level impediments to domestic energy production"--

-- The Order directs the Attorney General to identify and take action against state laws and policies that burden the use of domestic energy resources and that are unconstitutional, preempted by federal law, or otherwise unenforceable.

-- The Attorney General will prioritize taking action against laws and policies purporting to address “climate change” policies, or involving “environmental, social, and governance” initiatives, “environmental justice,” carbon or “greenhouse gas” emissions, and funds to collect carbon penalties or carbon taxes.

-- The Attorney General will submit a report to the President detailing actions taken and additional recommendations to protect American energy pursuant to the Order in 60 days.

Click Here for a White House fact sheet.

Proclamation - 2 Year Relief From Standards

The President signed a proclamation granting two-years of relief from a stringent Biden-era environmental rule to certain coal-fired power plants, safeguarding the Nation’s energy grid and security, and saving coal plants from closure.

Specifically--

-- The proclamation allows certain coal plants to comply with a less stringent version of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule for two years, instead of the more onerous version put in place by the Biden Administration.

-- The move ensures these plants are not prematurely forced offline due to unattainable compliance requirements under the new rule.

Click Here for a White House fact sheet.

Executive Order - Rescinding Transition Away From Coal

The President signed an executive order reinvigorating America's "beautiful clean coal industry"--

-- Directs the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council to designate coal as a “mineral” under Executive Order 14241, entitling coal to all of the benefits of that prior Order.

-- Directs relevant agencies to identify coal resources on Federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining, and prioritize coal leasing on those lands.

-- Directs the Secretary of the Interior to acknowledge the end of the Jewell Moratorium, which paused coal leasing on Federal lands.

-- Requires agencies to rescind any agency policies that seek to transition the Nation away from coal production or otherwise establish preferences against coal as a generation resource.

-- Directs CEQ to assist agencies in adopting coal-related categorical exclusions under NEPA.

-- Seeks to promote coal and coal technology exports, facilitate international offtake agreements for U.S. coal, and accelerate development of coal technologies.

-- Calls for the Secretary of Energy to determine whether coal used in the production of steel meets the definition of a “critical material” and “critical mineral” under the Energy Act of 2020, and if so, add it to the relevant lists.

-- Pushes for using coal to power new artificial intelligence (AI) data.

Click Here for a White House fact sheet.

Executive Order - Prevent Generation From Leaving Grid

The President signed an executive order to strengthen grid reliability and security by--

-- Directs the Secretary of Energy to streamline, systemize, and expedite processes for issuing emergency orders under the Federal Power Act during forecasted grid interruptions.

-- Requires the Secretary of Energy to develop a uniform methodology to analyze reserve margins across all regions of the bulk power system.

-- The methodology will assess varied grid conditions and accredit generation resources based on historical performance.

-- Requires the Secretary of Energy to incorporate such methodology into a process that assesses reserve margins on a regular basis and identifies which generation resources in a region are critical to system reliability.

-- The Secretary of Energy will then utilize that process to prevent significant generation resources from leaving the grid or converting fuel sources if it would result in a net reduction in accredited generating capacity.

Click Here for White House fact sheet.

Reaction

The Center for Coalfield Justice released this statement on the President's actions--

After rolling back regulations on carbon, mercury, and toxic air pollution at coal-fired power plants, opening up federal land to coal mining, and gutting the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), President Trump on Tuesday signed an Executive Order which he claims will boost America's "beautiful clean coal industry.”

The Trump administration made similar promises during his first term but instead oversaw the retirement of nearly 100 coal plants during the four years he was in office.

That number has only grown as more cheap, clean renewable energy comes online; in 2024, solar and wind power generated more U.S. electricity than coal for the first time.

This region has already lost more than 33,000 coal jobs since 2011, and Trump’s previous promise to bring back coal caused former miners to reject retraining opportunities.

This delay of the needed transition will only cause continued harm to our communities.

Coal isn’t clean: it never has been and never will be and the very idea is an affront to climate, environmental, and economic justice.

Between health impacts to workers and communities, property damage to homeowners and public lands, threats to climate and ecosystems, and the simple realities of supply and demand, it has never been more clear that coal is no longer a viable source of energy, jobs, or long-term prosperity for our region.

“President Trump’s actions won’t change the reality that the energy landscape is changing rapidly, but his Executive Order may delay the inevitable just long enough to enrich his tech-bro friends by funneling coal into AI data centers with less oversight at the expense of communities like ours,” said Sarah Martik, CCJ’s Executive Director.

The Center for Coalfield Justice, along with its members and supporters, will continue to fight for the future of all of the residents of southwestern Pennsylvania, toward better public and environmental health and thriving economies.

NewsClips - Promoting Coal:

-- AP-Marc Levy: President’s New Energy Order Puts State’s Climate Law In The Crosshairs Of The US Dept. Of Justice [PA Included]

-- PA Capital-Star: President Attack On State Climate Laws Likely Doomed, But Attempts To Yank Funds May Be Next

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Coal Industry Hopes President’s Executive Orders Will Revitalize Sector Amid Challenges

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Republican Con. Meuser Applauds President’s Order To Reinvigorate ‘Clean’ Coal

-- Reuters: President Issues Order To Block State Climate, Clean Energy Policies

-- E&ENews/Politico: President Declares War On State Climate, Clean Energy Laws

-- TribLive: Federal Mine Safety, Research Offices In PA Targeted For Closure As President Touts Coal

-- Inside Climate News: President’s Executive Orders Aim To Keep Coal Power Plants Alive, Despite Climate, Economic Costs

-- AP: President Signs Executive Orders To Boost Coal, A Reliable But Polluting Energy Source

-- Utility Dive: President Aims To Boost Coal, In Part By Ordering Power Plants To Stay Open

-- Reuters: President Signs Executive Orders To Boost US Coal As Power Demand Rises