(NewsNation) — One of President Donald Trump’s executive orders was aimed at boosting the coal mining industry, which has seen a decline in recent years.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2008, 48.2% of electricity generated in the U.S. came from coal power. That number dropped to 15% in 2024.
The number of jobs has followed suit and have been almost cut in half. Only 81,200 coal mining employees were around in 2008, which was brought down to 42,500 in 2024. This is a trend the Trump administration has expressed wanting to reverse.
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The push to reignite the coal industry comes as there’s a growing demand for more energy to go to new data centers and new charging stations for electric vehicles.
Coal has been a major part of the economy for towns in Montana and Wyoming, which have seen mines and the jobs that come with them disappear over the past decade due to federal regulations.
The town of Colstrip, Montana, has relied heavily on coal mining. Dragline operator Barron Stroop said he was proud of how the industry adapted to become cleaner.
“There’s a lot of propaganda out there, a belief that we take the coal out of the ground and walk away, with no wildlife or foliage, and that’s not the case,” Stroop said.
While there has not been talk of developing new coal plants, there is a push behind ramping up coal production at existing plants.
