Trump declares coal critical, aims to boost US mining industry
The US President, Donald Trump, signed a decree on Tuesday recognising coal as a critical mineral. He also announced a series of other measures aimed at easing environmental regulations, increasing coal production, and preventing the closure of mines.
"Today, we're taking historic action to help American workers, miners, families and consumers. We're ending Joe Biden's war on beautiful, clean coal once and for all... we're going to put the miners back to work," Trump declared during the signing ceremony of the new decrees supporting the coal industry.
In a speech delivered at the White House, with miners in work attire standing behind him, Trump claimed that the value of untapped coal in the USA is 100 times greater than the value of all the gold in Fort Knox.
He announced the end of environmental regulations limiting coal mining, which is intended to prevent the closure of 66 mines. He also asserted that mining has previously been discriminated against, though he remarked that miners love their work and would not give it up, even for a chance to live in a New York apartment with a different job.
Trump also signed an order instructing the energy secretary to potentially classify coal as a critical mineral, allowing for increased extraction of the resource by using provisions of the Defense Production Act, which was created to boost the production of materials and goods necessary for national defence.
Trump wants to open new mines
Another decree addresses the end of discriminatory policies by government agencies against coal mining, facilitating the opening of new mines on federal lands. Trump also directed the Department of Justice to combat illegal state-level regulations against fossil fuels.
Trump's decrees are part of a broader deregulation initiative in the energy sector, aimed at increasing electricity production to meet the growing demand for power, including that necessary for the development of artificial intelligence.
