Governor Patrick Morrisey and Senator Jim Justice praised this action as crucial for national security and economic development. Conversely, environmental organizations criticized it as a taxpayer-funded giveaway to coal executives, jeopardizing public health and the advancement of clean energy.
West Virginia leaders applaud Trump’s $625M investment in coal initiatives
by Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch
September 29, 2025
President Donald Trump’s plans to boost the country’s struggling coal industry by investing millions of dollars into coal power plants, opening more land to mining and loosening environmental regulations are a “major victory” for West Virginia and the United States, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a news release.
The Trump administration announced plans to invest $625 million in coal plants and to open 13.1 million acres of federal land for mining leases. Officials also announced plans to delay environmental guidelines in order for power plants to affordably meet the country’s growing electricity demand, including for data centers.
“Beautiful, clean coal will be essential to powering America’s reindustrialization and winning the AI race,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in a news release announcing the $625 million investment. “These funds will help keep our nation’s coal plants operating and will be vital to keeping electricity prices low and the lights on without interruption. Coal built the greatest industrial engine the world has ever known, and with President Trump’s leadership, it will help do so again.”
U.S. Department of the Interior director Doug Burgum said in a release that with the coal mining land policy initiative, officials are “strengthening our economy, protecting national security and ensuring that communities from Montana to Alabama benefit from good-paying jobs.” The agency is also “lowering royalty rates to strengthen competitiveness, and streamlining approvals for projects in Montana, Wyoming, Tennessee and beyond,” the news release said.
“I commend President Donald Trump and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright for backing West Virginia’s coal industry and supporting our ‘50 by 50’ policy — which will rely heavily on coal and gas to empower our state to take the lead in securing America’s energy future and advance our position against China in the data and AI arms race,” Morrisey said in a news release.
“America needs to increase its energy production, and West Virginia has the opportunity to lead the way,” Morrisey added. “By upgrading our existing coal-fired power plants to run cleaner and more efficiently, we can lower energy prices for consumers and build the generating capacity we need to compete with China, all while supporting the hardworking West Virginians who work in our coal and gas industries.”
Sen. Jim Justice, R-West Virginia, also commended Trump’s announcement, saying the president is “right on the money” with the investment in power plants.
“I’ve said for a long time that we are going to face an energy crisis of massive proportions, having to choose between powering our homes or powering industry unless we act,” Justice said in the news release. “This is smart policy in action. I’m proud of what we are getting done here with regard to energy because this $625 million investment is a massive win for our miners, our families, and America’s energy independence.”
The moves were decried by environmental advocates, including the Sierra Club, which said the administration is giving taxpayer money to “wealthy executives in the coal industry.”
“This is a transparent wealth transfer from everyday Americans, who are already making tough decisions at the kitchen table, to the millionaires that run the fossil fuel industry,” Laurie Williams, the organization’s Beyond Coal campaign director, said in a statement. “If Chris Wright, or anyone in Donald Trump’s administration, truly cared about bringing down the cost of electricity, they would be investing in affordable clean energy instead of taking a sledgehammer to the progress our country has made.”
In an email, Chelsea Barnes, director of government affairs and strategy for Appalachian Voices, said the announcements to “prop up” coal power plants and open land for coal mining were made with announcements to “allow coal power plants to further pollute our air and water.”
“But the announcements are no surprise,” she said. “The Trump administration has made it abundantly clear that they’re willing to sacrifice the health and safety of coal miners and the people living near mines and power plants to benefit the coal barons and other billionaires.”
Morgan King, climate and energy manager for West Virginia Citizen Action Group, said in a statement Tuesday that “coal-fired power plants will never be the affordable option for electric ratepayers, even with government handouts.”
“We’ve seen this experiment play out time and time again, with the outcome only hurting our communities’ wallets and health,” she wrote. “With this action, the Trump Administration and Gov. Morrisey are merely backing the corporate interests that funded their campaigns, not the voters who put them into office.”
This story has been updated with a statement from Morgan King, climate and energy manager for West Virginia Citizen Action Group.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.
