Even conservative voices in the Northern Rockies are now publicly questioning whether elected officials\u2019 wishful thinking on coal is dooming state economies for years to come<\/a>.<\/p>\n The administration\u2019s policies ask the American taxpayer to pick up the tab for a dangerous and polluting industry with a failing market, while they simultaneously attack affordable and reliable clean energy<\/a>. Removing pollution control requirements, forcing outdated coal power plants to operate past their retirement dates, and offering up our public lands to industry will not only harm our health and environment: it will hurt our pocketbooks through higher energy prices<\/a> at a time when so many of us are already struggling. The administration\u2019s use of sham emergency orders to stop a Michigan coal-fired plant from retiring cost customers $29 million<\/a> in just the first five weeks it was forced to keep burning coal.<\/p>\n While the administration and Republicans in Congress remove incentives for and block clean energy development, they are also increasingly subsidizing the fossil fuel industry<\/a> at our expense. The Department of Energy recently announced that it will provide $625 million to subsidize aging, polluting coal-fired power plants<\/a>. And earlier this year, the Republicans passed a budget bill that cut the coal royalty rate from a 12.5% floor to a 7% ceiling, providing the industry a handout at the expense of a critical funding stream for state and local governments<\/a> that goes toward schools and colleges, highway and road construction, and city and town budgets.<\/p>\n Clean energy is now cheaper than coal in many places and investing in it helps to keep down electricity costs for Americans. So why is the Trump administration selling out our communities by propping up this costly and polluting fuel source while attacking clean energy?<\/p>\n Kids take a break in a swimming pool in the shadow of the James H. Miller, Jr., coal-fired power plant in Adamsville, Ala. The Trump administration has exempted the plant from pollution limits set in the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n In addition to raising energy prices, the Trump administration and its allies in Congress have given a competitive edge to other countries that continue to grow their clean energy industries. According to the New York Times<\/em>, Chinese companies now produce 60% of the world\u2019s wind turbines and 80% of solar panels<\/a>. America has a rich history of progress and leadership on emerging industries, but the MAGA movement now seems hellbent on rejecting these new opportunities to allow other countries to win the clean energy space.<\/p>\n Despite Trump\u2019s attacks on clean energy, other countries around the world continue to move toward renewables. In fact, renewables have now overtaken coal as the primary source of electricity around the world for the first time<\/a>. Trump and congressional Republicans are holding us back from competing on the global stage.<\/p>\n Workers transfer lithium-ion batteries. (Chinatopix via AP)<\/p><\/div>\n Upon taking office, the Trump administration immediately declared an energy emergency, but this is completely fabricated. Even before Trump took office, the U.S. was producing more oil and gas than any nation on the planet has in the history of human civilization. If the purpose of Trump\u2019s actions was to address an actual energy emergency, it would be nonsensical to simultaneously adopt policies that inhibit wind and solar energy development and promote coal exports to other countries. President Trump\u2019s manufactured emergency is meant to line the pockets of wealthy fossil fuel CEOs at the expense of our communities.<\/p>\n Much of the administration\u2019s push for fossil fuels is ostensibly about fueling large-load data center development and the massive energy requirements that come with it, rather than providing power for American families. Communities are being forced (oftentimes without their knowledge<\/a>) to take on both the cost and environmental risks of the AI boom. These data centers require enormous amounts of electricity, generate an excessive amount of waste, noise pollution, and require vast amounts of water. They often end up raising electricity rates for customers and are keeping fossil fuel-burning power plants online, disrupting the transition to clean energy and rolling back progress on fossil fuels. The administration\u2019s actions on coal further exacerbate this growing threat to our communities and utility customers. Earthjustice attorneys represent local communities before state utility regulators to protect customers from subsidizing data centers.<\/p>\n High-voltage transmission lines provide electricity to data centers in Ashburn in Loudon County, Virginia. (Ted Shaffrey \/ AP)<\/p><\/div>\n Trump isn\u2019t just pushing to burn more coal \u2014 he also wants to mine more of it. The administration recently announced that it was opening 13.1 million acres of our national public lands to coal leasing. But even with the subsidies from the administration and Congress, three recent lease sales in the Powder River Basin<\/a> and Utah<\/a> have fallen flat, illustrating the market\u2019s continued shift away from coal. Companies don\u2019t want this coal even when it\u2019s on the clearance rack.<\/p>\n The American people also don\u2019t want to turn over our national public lands to industry. According to the 2025 Conservation in the West poll, Western voters want their members of Congress to prioritize conservation<\/a> over energy development on our national public lands by the widest margin to date \u2014 a whopping 72%. Americans want our elected officials to protect our public lands for recreation opportunities, wildlife, and economic benefits for local communities.<\/p>\n Uinta Basin in northeast Utah. (Jared Hargrave)<\/p><\/div>\n Since taking office in 2017, President Trump has promised to bring back the coal industry. It didn\u2019t happen in his first term and it will not happen now. While the U.S. may see a temporary bump in coal production, it will not last as the market continues to move toward cheaper and cleaner energy. The Trump administration and its allies in Congress are selling coal communities and states a bill of goods \u2014 and even longtime coal supporters in those states are starting to recognize it. By doubling down on an industry that continues to decline even with heavy subsidies behind it, and refusing to support transition plans, elected officials are dooming communities and workers with false hope.<\/p>\n Even while the administration moves forward with its coal industry bailout, it is leaving behind the same workers who have been asked to line up behind members of the administration at press conferences. Recently, coal miners from across the country protested at the Department of Labor<\/a> over the administration\u2019s failure to enforce limits on silica dust \u2014 a carcinogen that has led to a spike in black lung disease. The administration is ignoring worker health while helping its industry executive friends get even richer.<\/p>\n In Michigan, Earthjustice has active litigation to shut down the coal plant<\/a> that Trump\u2019s fake energy emergency has kept running past its scheduled retirement. In the coming months, we will fight more mandates like this one across the country.<\/p>\nAmericans Will Pay More for Trump\u2019s Coal Agenda<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Kids](\"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/james-miller-coal-plant_getty-1024x744.jpg\")
The MAGA Agenda Lets Other Countries Lead on Clean Energy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Workers](\"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/battery-recycling_ap-1024x681.jpg\")
A Fake Energy Emergency at Our Expense<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"High-tension](\"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ap23200525603269-1024x702.jpg\")
Opening Up National Public Lands<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Uinta](\"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/uinta_jared-hargrave_800.jpg\")
President Trump\u2019s Coal Fantasy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Earthjustice Continues to Fight Back <\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Kids](\"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/02_ap24151789504916_2k-1024x673.jpg\")
![\"In](\"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/rosebud-coal-mine-in-colstrip-mt2k-1024x682.jpg\")