Story perspectives

Trump Allocates $700M for Coal Projects, Critics Decry Pollution

6/5/2026

Summary

Trump Announces Investment

President Donald Trump announced a $700 million investment under the Defense Production Act.
$425 million will upgrade 13 plants, $75 million will build an export terminal in Oakland, California, and $185 million will fund coal units in Alaska and West Virginia and restart a Maryland plant.
The Sierra Club and NRDC call the funding a waste raising pollution, noting coal supplied about 55 % of U.S. carbon emissions in 2022 and lacks carbon-capture use.

Summary

Nolan Praises

The plan targets over 14,000 jobs and an estimated $50 billion in consumer electricity savings.
National Mining Association CEO Rich Nolan praised the move as protecting consumers from volatile prices and AI-driven demand.
Maryland’s governor’s office urged converting the Maryland site to battery storage to improve grid efficiency.
Oakland residents and environmental groups sued over the West Gateway export terminal, warning of air-quality and safety risks from coal trains.

Summary

Trump Clean Coal

President Donald Trump said the new coal facilities will use “very clean” technology.
The Alaska mine will be operated by Terra Energy Center Corporation, an Anchorage company.
A White House official who detailed the grants remained anonymous because the announcement is not public.
The Department of Energy (DOE) grant program forces private firms to match federal money, totaling $386 million in private-public investment for plants that will power future data centers.

Summary

Coal Declines

Coal’s electricity share fell from >50 % in 1990 to <20 % today.
Coal miner jobs dropped from ~51,500 in 2017 to ~39,800 last year (St. Louis Federal Reserve (Fed)).
Energy Innovation found 99 % of U.S. coal plants cost more than new solar, wind or storage.
The West Gateway export terminal revives a project shelved after 2010 opposition.
Long Beach port is being turned into a floating offshore wind turbine assembly hub.

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Trump Announces Investment

President Donald Trump announced a $700 million investment under the Defense Production Act.
$425 million will upgrade 13 plants, $75 million will build an export terminal in Oakland, California, and $185 million will fund coal units in Alaska and West Virginia and restart a Maryland plant.
The Sierra Club and NRDC call the funding a waste raising pollution, noting coal supplied about 55 % of U.S. carbon emissions in 2022 and lacks carbon-capture use.

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