President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing the Department of War to prioritize long-term power agreements with coal-fired plants for military installations, marking a dramatic shift in federal energy policy that supporters call vital for national security and critics view as a costly step backward.
The February 11 order instructs the Secretary of War to coordinate with the Department of Energy in approving long-term Power Purchase Agreements with coal facilities across the country, with a stated focus on grid reliability and blackout prevention for defense operations. Administration officials indicated the move has already halted the closure of 17 gigawatts of coal power capacity and sparked new investments in baseload generation.
“President Trump will be taking the most significant deregulatory actions in history to further unleash American energy dominance and drive down costs,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, framing the order as part of a broader energy strategy.
Coal Revival Through Defense Spending
The administration plans to award funding to recommission and upgrade five coal plants across West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Kentucky, according to people familiar with the implementation plans. This initiative represents the latest in a series of pro-coal measures since Trump returned to office in January 2025.
What’s driving this coal renaissance? On the campaign trail, Trump frequently criticized America’s electrical infrastructure, claiming “you have a grid system in this country that’s obsolete and a disaster.” The executive order frames coal as essential for “mission assurance” and “on-site fuel security” for military operations.
Last April, Trump signed executive orders designating coal as a mineral and lifting barriers to coal mining on federal lands, while providing regulatory relief from restrictions implemented during the Biden administration. The White House has also renewed the charter for the National Coal Council and convened its first meeting last month.
Critics Question Military Coal Strategy
Not everyone sees the coal directive as forward-thinking. “It’s expensive, it’s outdated, and it just puts us at risk,” said Erin Sikorsky, director of the Center for Climate & Security at The Council on Strategic Risks. “Coal is just going backwards, not forwards, for the Department of Defense,” she told reporters.
Defense analysts have pointed out that the Pentagon had been moving toward distributed renewable energy systems at many installations, viewing them as more resilient against both physical and cyber attacks. The new directive appears to reverse that trend.
Still, coal industry representatives are celebrating. Trump is set to receive the inaugural “Undisputed Champion of Coal” award from the Washington Coal Club at an upcoming ceremony, sources confirmed.
The revival of Department of War terminology — a name officially changed to Department of Defense in 1949 — also hasn’t escaped notice, reflecting the administration’s broader messaging around American military power and energy independence. Whether this coal-powered military strategy will survive potential legal challenges remains an open question, as environmental groups are already signaling intentions to contest the order in federal court.
