The president also received an award from an industry group designating him the ‘Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal.’
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 11 directing the U.S. military to purchase its power from coal-fired electricity plants.
“We’re going to be buying a lot of coal through the military now, and it’s going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years,” Trump said during the East Room event in the White House.
He criticized prior administrations for focusing on wind and other energy sources while minimizing the coal industry.
“You got mistreated very badly for a long period of time, but you’ve never had a better friend in the Oval Office than me,” Trump said.
The president highlighted actions his administration took to eliminate burdensome regulations and support coal miners.
“I’ve saved 74 coal power plants from crushing restrictions and closures that would have been forced to shut down in the very immediate future,” Trump said, while announcing that the Tennessee Valley Authority is taking measures to protect two “major coal plants.”
Additionally, he ordered the Energy Department to fund operations in Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia.
One coal-mining family took the stage to thank Trump for his efforts.
“The common sense policies to keep coal plants running implemented by this administration mean that my husband and I can keep working, stay where we are, and continue raising our son in our community that we call home, and the impact is even greater than that, because you, Mr. President, have single-handedly kept utility prices affordable, the lights on, and our jobs alive,” Caleb Blackford said.
“We are real, real people under these hard hats on behalf of America’s coal miners.”
