MILITARY SEIZES Control — Coal Plants Reborn

President Trump signed a groundbreaking executive order directing the U.S. military to purchase electricity directly from coal-fired power plants, a bold move that prioritizes national security over the failed green energy agenda that left our defense installations vulnerable to grid failures.

Story Highlights

Trump’s February 11, 2026 executive order mandates long-term coal power contracts for military bases to ensure reliable electricity during emergencies and wartime
The administration allocated $175 million to recommission six coal plants across West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia
Critics warn the move is expensive and outdated, while the administration frames it as essential for military readiness against grid vulnerabilities
The order marks a dramatic shift from renewable energy dependency, leveraging Department of Defense purchasing power to revive American coal

Military Takes Command of Energy Security

President Trump signed the executive order during a White House ceremony on February 11, 2026, where he received the “Undisputed Champion of Coal” award from the Washington Coal Club. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was directed to execute power purchase agreements with coal-fired plants to supply military installations. The administration framed this as a critical national security measure, ensuring dispatchable baseload power during grid failures, extreme weather events, or potential wartime scenarios when intermittent solar and wind cannot be relied upon.

Reversing Biden’s Green Energy Failures

Coal’s share of U.S. electricity plummeted from 50 percent in 2005 to under 20 percent by 2025, thanks to Obama-Biden regulations like the 2009 EPA endangerment finding that labeled greenhouse gases a public health threat. While cheap natural gas and renewables accelerated coal plant closures, recent grid strains from Winter Storm Fern exposed the dangers of over-reliance on weather-dependent energy sources. Trump’s move builds on his January 2025 National Energy Emergency declaration, recognizing grid vulnerabilities that the previous administration ignored while pursuing their radical climate agenda.

Economic Revival for Coal Country

Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced $175 million in Department of Energy funding to recommission coal plants in five states that were devastated by leftist energy policies. This investment will restore jobs in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia—communities abandoned by Democrats who prioritized virtue-signaling over American workers. The administration’s approach leverages the Department of Defense’s substantial buying power to create guaranteed demand for coal electricity, countering market forces that have been distorted by subsidies for unreliable renewables. Trump emphasized coal as “America’s most reliable energy,” a common-sense position that resonates with those who remember when affordable, dependable power wasn’t considered controversial.

Experts Raise Cost and Strategic Concerns

Lauren Herzer Risi from the Stimson Center criticized the plan as “expensive and short-sighted,” noting it contradicts Department of Defense recommendations for developing microgrids at military installations. Erin Sikorsky of the Council on Strategic Risks warned the move risks strategic disadvantage compared to China, which reduced coal generation by 1.9 percent in 2025 while expanding solar and wind capacity. However, these critics ignore the fundamental reality that military bases cannot defend the nation when the power goes out because the wind stopped blowing. The administration’s plan addresses immediate grid reliability concerns that academic theorists overlook while pushing their climate agenda.

The executive order also includes plans to repeal the 2009 EPA endangerment finding, removing federal obstacles that have strangled American energy independence for nearly two decades. While implementation details remain pending as the Department of Defense and Department of Energy identify specific facilities and plants for contracts, the policy signals a fundamental rejection of the previous administration’s reckless energy priorities. Critics have long pushed solar and wind as the future, but when military readiness is at stake, proven baseload power sources like coal cannot be dismissed by ideologues more concerned with international climate agreements than protecting American troops and installations from blackouts.