President Trump Directed Department of Defense to Enter Long-Term Power Purchase Agreements with Coal Plants

On Feb. 11, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Secretary of Defense to enter into long-term power purchase agreements with coal-fired power plants to serve military installations and defense facilities. Citing coal’s capacity to provide continuous baseload power, the administration framed the action as necessary to protect grid reliability and national security in the face of the “National Energy Emergency” that President Trump declared on Jan. 29, 2025. The directive aligns with President Trump’s earlier order, Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241, which sought to “encourage and support our Nation’s coal industry.”