Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended, on Coal Supply Chains and Baseload Power Generation Capacity

Key Points

• Trump is invoking Section 303 of the Defense Production Act to declare coal supply chains and baseload power generation essential to national defense. This unlocks federal purchasing power, financial support, and commitments to prop up the coal industry.
• The Department of Energy is now authorized to spend federal money on coal mining, transportation, and power plant infrastructure. This includes purchases, financial instruments, and commitments to keep the coal supply chain running.
• The memorandum argues that private industry cannot maintain coal capacity on its own because of financing problems, regulatory delays, expensive repairs, and unfavorable market conditions.
• The order waives several procedural requirements in the Defense Production Act to speed up implementation. Trump says this is necessary to prevent a shortfall that would severely harm national defense.
• The memorandum ties this action to the January 2025 national energy emergency declaration and argues that stable coal power is needed to support defense installations, industrial growth, and energy-hungry technologies like artificial intelligence.

News