Trump Administration Allocates $700 Million for Coal Plants, New Facilities and West Coast Export Terminal

President Trump announced $700 million in federal funds on June 4, 2026, to support coal production through the Defense Production Act. The money will go to 13 existing coal plants across 10 states, the construction of two new coal plants, and a West Coast export terminal in Oakland, California.

Of the total, $425 million will support the 13 existing plants in West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Another $200 million in Department of Energy grants will fund two new coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia and restart a coal plant in Maryland. S. since 2013.

The remaining $75 million will go to the Oakland export terminal. President Trump said the action will allow facilities to invest in upgrades that will extend their operational lives for decades into the future, reinforce the reliability of the electric grid, and keep electricity prices very low.

A White House official told CBS News the initiative will create thousands of jobs for miners, railroad workers, engineers and construction workers and save consumers $50 billion in energy generation costs.

President Trump was joined on June 4 by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. He said the administration has approved 76 new permits for coal since taking office in 2025.

The administration has also directed fossil-fueled power plants in Michigan, Indiana, Colorado and Washington state to continue operating past their retirement dates.

One coal plant in Indiana ordered to remain open past its scheduled retirement date will add $1 billion to customer bills over the next two years, according to its owners. President Trump said the funding will bring down the price of energy and the cost of living for all Americans with the power of clean, beautiful coal.

He added that successful countries use coal while countries using wind are real great failures.

Coal provided 15% of energy production in 2024, down from 45% in 2010. S. electricity. 7%, according to a report by the energy think tank Ember.

The Sierra Club said it is disgusting and reprehensible that the President of the United States is giving away taxpayer dollars to deadly and expensive coal plants that will make Americans sicker and drive up electricity prices even more. Kit Kennedy, managing director for power at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said propping up coal billionaires with taxpayer money is one more way for the Trump administration to put polluters first and put the rest of us at risk.