On Tuesday, April 8, President Donald Trump signed several Executive Orders connected to his “Unleashing American Energy” order, including an order titled “Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241.” The order directs agencies to remove barriers to coal mining on federal lands and streamline and prioritize coal leasing, and amends a previous Executive Order to designate coals as a “mineral” in order to accelerate the permitting process for new mines on federal lands.
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and the Wyoming Congressional Delegation were present at the signing, and praised the president’s actions.
“This is a great day for Wyoming coal,” Governor Gordon said. “We produce more coal than any other state in the nation. These Executive Orders will be impactful for our state’s coal industry and will help ensure Wyoming coal is available to help meet our nation’s growing energy demand. I thank President Trump for his work in freeing our country from the unnecessarily burdensome regulations imposed on the coal industry by the Biden Administration.”
“I am thrilled that President Trump is reversing the failed energy policies of the Biden administration and officially lifting this ridiculous moratorium on federal coal leasing,” said Senator Cynthia Lummis. “The previous administration’s anti-science, anti-energy, anti-Wyoming policies cost good paying jobs, increased energy costs, and played into the hands of America’s adversaries. President Trump knows that increased American energy is a strength, not a weakness. As America’s leading coal-producing state, Wyoming stands ready and able to support President Trump’s initiative to expand and Unleash American Energy.”
Senator John Barrasso spoke about Wyoming coal on the Senate floor on Tuesday.
“President Trump is moving quickly to boost our coal industry. It is part of his bold plan to restore American energy dominance,” he said. “For years, Democrats held coal captive with reckless regulations. Joe Biden took coal offline. Democrats’ war on American energy strained our grid, subsidized unreliable energy, and as a result, energy prices spiked by 31 percent. This hit American consumers, American manufacturers, and American families. And it hurt our economy. Meanwhile, China opens up two new coal plants every week. President Trump is cutting red tape so America can compete again. Coal is making a comeback. Wyoming wins, America wins.”
Representative Harriet Hageman applauded Trump’s actions, calling them a “massive win.”
“Coal is the energy of the future – Wyoming understands that, and so does President Trump,” she said. “This is yet another promise made and delivered from President Trump, and one which rightly recognizes that coal is key to powering the great American comeback. Decades of dystopian environmental policies manifested in the Obama and Biden presidencies, the Inflation Reduction Act, and more, all designed to shutter Wyoming and decrease the affordability and reliability of American power. I do not believe that the role of the federal government is to force despair on its people, and neither does President Trump. Today is a win for Wyoming and a win for America.”
Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray also praised the Executive Order.
“Today’s Executive Order is a wonderful step in unleashing Wyoming’s coal industry,” he said. “While some on the left continue to embrace propped-up, subsidized, fantasy-driven ‘green energy projects’ like wind and solar, I applaud President Trump’s decisive action to end the far-left’s war on the most affordable, abundant, and reliable form of energy: Wyoming coal. President Trump’s executive order is instrumental in undoing the devastating harm done by the Biden Administration. Rolling back the devastating regulatory impacts on Wyoming’s coal industry is key to unleashing Wyoming’s core industries. I want to thank President Trump for advancing this wonderful, important Executive Order.”
Governor Gordon noted that the coal industry supports approximately 5,000 direct jobs in Wyoming, and that the state supplies coal for electricity for almost 50% of the mainland United States. The actions taken by President Trump will help preserve those jobs and reflect a commitment to domestic energy development, Governor Gordon said.
“While the EOs are a great first step, the real focus must not only be extending the life of coal-fired generating plants nearing retirement, but to actually pave the way to building new power plants,” Gordon added. “These are essential to our future. Wyoming is ready to lead the way and be a partner in that process. I encourage all Wyoming utility companies to carefully examine the possibilities provided in these EOs in order to increase the use of coal and other sources of electricity to see that Wyomingites and other consumers have affordable, reliable, and dependable energy.”
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