NEW YORK, February 11. /TASS/. The White House instructed Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth to enter into agreements to purchase electricity from coal plants to power military operations in an attempt to revive the coal industry, Bloomberg reported citing sources.
The move is expected to tap special Cold War-era authorities under the 1950 Defense Production Act that gives the White House sweeping power to direct private industry to protect national security, the agency wrote referring to a source with the US administration.
According to the official, the US Department of Energy also plans to allocate $175 million to fund upgrades at six coal plants in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia to improve their efficiency and extend their operations.
Earlier, the US Department of the Interior, responsible for managing the country's natural resources, reported the sale of 82.4 million tons of coal mining licenses in the first year of the US administration. During the previous administration's four years in office, not a single coal mining license agreement was executed.
Last February, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the National Energy Dominance Council. In July 2025 he signed an executive order ending government subsidies for solar and wind energy. According to the US government, green energy subsidies threaten US national security by making the country dependent on supply chains from unfriendly states.