Trump orders the military to make agreements with coal power plants

Source: Ars Technica

Executive Order Overview

The executive order directs the Secretary of War, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, to “seek to procure power from the United States coal generation fleet by approving long-term Power Purchase Agreements, or entering into any similar contractual agreements, with coal‑fired energy production facilities to serve Department of War installations or other mission‑critical facilities.”

Trump claimed at the event that this approach would be “less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years,” adding that “with the environmental progress that’s been made on coal, it’s going to be just as clean.”

Criticism and Context

The order emphasizes coal’s “proven reliability… in providing continuous, on‑demand baseload power.” This overlooks the recent Texas grid failure, where coal plants contributed significantly to the collapse and went offline for a wide range of reasons — see the analysis of the Texas deep freeze here and a detailed account here.

Potential Implications

The key action appears to be locking the military into long‑term contracts that could extend beyond the end of Trump’s term in 2029, potentially shaping the Department of Defense’s energy procurement strategy for years to come.