President Donald Trump is expected to invoke the Defense Production Act on Thursday as part of a plan to provide almost $700 million to refurbish and expand the nation’s aging coal power fleet and help build a coal export terminal on the West Coast, according to a White House official.
The president is slated to announce the funding under the Cold War-era law, as well as Energy Department grants, at an event in the Oval office, said the official, marking another move by the administration to extend the life of an industry that’s been declining for decades.
The DPA funding includes $425 million for 13 coal plants across the nation, as well as $75 million to build the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal, which could open a pathway for coal shipments out of the western United States. POLITICO’s E&E News first reported the administration’s plans last month to tap DPA funds for the export hub in Oakland that’s drawn legal fights and opposition within the San Francisco Bay Area.
The president will also reveal $185 million in DOE grants to help build two coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia, said the official, who was granted anonymity because the announcement has not yet been made public.
