Coal—the dominant fuel in the U.S., before it was steadily replaced by cheaper and cleaner energy sources—has found new life under President Donald Trump. In April, Trump issued an executive order to reinvigorate "America's Beautiful Clean Coal Industry," which directed federal agencies to remove regulatory barriers to coal production and coal mining on federal lands.
Since then, the Energy Department has opened up federal financing opportunities for coal production (which include a $200 billion fund at the agency's Loan Programs Office), designated coal as a critical material (which allows it to receive more federal funding), and reinstated a federal coal advisory committee that had lapsed.
