President Trump has just issued a chilling new executive order directing the Pentagon to start purchasing electric power directly from coal plants, giving the declining fossil fuel industry a massive government-backed boost, as reported by The Hill. This move is a huge lifeline for coal, and it completely drags the Department of Defense into the middle of the energy wars.
The president announced the directive from the White House’s East Room, stating he would sign an order for the Department of War to work directly with coal plants on new long-term power purchasing agreements. President Trump explained the goal is ensuring “more reliable power and stronger and more resilient grid power.” He added that the military will now be “buying a lot of coal through the military now.”
The executive order mandates that the military “shall seek to procure power from the United States coal generation fleet” through those long-term contracts. This is a significant shift in federal procurement policy, and it shows the administration is serious about propping up this sector.
The administration isn’t stopping with military mandates, though
They’re also injecting serious cash into the sector. Just minutes after the announcement, the Energy Department confirmed it would “issue funds” to keep key coal plants open in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Kentucky. Specifically, the department announced $175 million in funding for six projects across those four states.
We’re already seeing the ripple effects of this policy push. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which is a federal utility serving parts of seven states and is led by a presidential-appointed board, immediately decided to indefinitely extend the life of two coal plants. These plants had been scheduled for retirement in 2026 and 2028, respectively. President Trump made sure to tout the TVA action during his event.
While celebrating the TVA’s decision, the president took an unexpected turn to criticize TVA CEO Don Moul’s salary. Moul is expected to earn just over $6 million this year. President Trump called him the “highest paid government-type official in history,” though he referred to the position as “semi-public” and “semi-private.” The president seemed genuinely annoyed by the compensation, adding, “I wonder what he got before he got that job. Probably making $150,000.”
The president also used the opportunity to highlight his administration’s efforts to boost new coal mining. He noted that his administration has approved over 70 permits for coal mining in one year, stating that “over half of those permits were approved over the last 30 days.” He drew a sharp contrast with the previous administration, claiming that “Under four years of the Biden administration, Sleepy Joe, not a single permit was approved for a new coal mining project.”
Environmental advocates were quick to criticize the president’s move, especially the financial implications. Matthew Davis, vice president of federal policy at the League of Conservation Voters, warned that “the Trump administration risks further driving up energy prices for American families struggling to pay the bills.”
He argued that the government shouldn’t be wasting taxpayer dollars on “dirty, expensive, and unreliable” coal. He believes we should be focusing on increasing access to clean energy sources like wind and solar, which are the fastest and cheapest ways to deploy energy onto the grid.
However, this move is in line with the Trump administration’s stance on fossil fuels and climate change. We saw the EPA recently removing any mention of fossil fuels from its online page detailing the causes of climate change.
Published: Feb 12, 2026 12:00 pm