CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) – Today, Governor Patrick Morrisey applauded the Trump Administration’s announcements to reinvigorate and expand America’s coal industry, which includes a $625 million investment aimed at keeping existing coal plants open, enabling the U.S. to compete with China in the race for AI dominance, and lowering energy costs for Americans.
“This is a major victory for both West Virginia and the United States,” said Governor Morrisey. “I commend President Donald Trump and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright for backing West Virginia’s coal industry and supporting our ‘50 by 50’ policy – which will rely heavily on coal and gas to empower our state to take the lead in securing America’s energy future and advance our position against China in the data and AI arms race.”
Speaking today from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright outlined the investment the Trump Administration will make to support the coal industry, which includes $350 million to modernize existing coal plants; $175 million for coal projects in rural communities that are expected to bring cheaper, more reliable energy; $50 million to upgrade wastewater management systems, extending the lifespan of coal plants and reducing operating costs; $25 million to enable coal power plants to operate on dual fuel; and $25 million to support investments that will maintain boiler efficiency and reliability when utilizing 100% natural gas.
“America needs to increase its energy production, and West Virginia has the opportunity to lead the way,” added Governor Morrisey. “By upgrading our existing coal-fired power plants to run cleaner and more efficiently, we can lower energy prices for consumers and build the generating capacity we need to compete with China, all while supporting the hardworking West Virginians who work in our coal and gas industries.”
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced several new leases for coal mining on federal lands, a change of the established federal coal royalty rate, and plans to process leases for up to 400 million acres of federal land for coal extraction activities.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced two major regulatory changes from its water and air divisions – a reexamination of the 2024 and 2020 Effluent Limitation Guidelines (water discharge limits) for steam (coal) electric generating units and an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to begin the process of revising its Regional Haze program.
