Lummis Praises President Trump’s Pro-Coal Executive Order

April 8, 2025

Washington, D.C. - Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) released the following statement today applauding President Trump's pro-coal executive order.

"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 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."

Background:

Earlier today, President Trump signed an EO: Executive Actions to Support the Coal Industry, which does the following:

• Directs the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council to designate coal as a "mineral" under Executive Order 14241, entitling coal to all of the benefits of that prior Order.
• Directs relevant agencies to identify coal resources on Federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining, and prioritize coal leasing on those lands.
• Directs the Secretary of the Interior to acknowledge the end of the Jewell Moratorium, which paused coal leasing on Federal lands.
• Requires agencies to rescind any agency policies that seek to transition the Nation away from coal production or otherwise establish preferences against coal as a generation resource.
• Directs CEQ to assist agencies in adopting coal-related categorical exclusions under NEPA.
• Seeks to promote coal and coal technology exports, facilitate international offtake agreements for U.S. coal, and accelerate development of coal technologies.
• Calls for the Secretary of Energy to determine whether coal used in the production of steel meets the definition of a "critical material" and "critical mineral" under the Energy Act of 2020, and if so, add it to the relevant lists.
• Pushes for using coal to power new artificial intelligence (AI) data.