Trump directs military to strike new deals with coal-fired power plants: ‘Going to be buying a lot of coal’

By Fox News · Fox News

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday directing the Department of War (DoW) to work directly with coal-fired power plants on new long-term power purchasing agreements, arguing the move would ensure "more reliable power and stronger and more resilient grid power." "That’s why I'm also pleased to announce that in just a moment, I will sign an executive order that directs the Department of War to work directly with coal plants on the new power purchasing agreements, ensuring that we have more reliable power and stronger and more resilient grid power," Trump said. "And we're going to be buying a lot of coal through the military now, and it's going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years." The executive order , titled "Strengthening United States National Defense with America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Power Generation Fleet," states: "The United States must ensure that our electric grid … remains resilient and reliable, and not reliant on intermittent energy sources," calling the grid "the foundation of our national defense as well as our economic stability." TRUMP ADMIN TO REPEAL OBAMA-ERA GREENHOUSE GAS FINDING IN LARGE-SCALE DEREGULATION It adds: "It is the policy of the United States that coal is essential to our national and economic security." Under a section titled "Power Purchase Agreements with Federal Installations," the order states that the Secretary of War, "in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, shall seek to procure power from the United States coal generation fleet by approving long-term Power Purchase Agreements … with coal-fired energy production facilities to serve DOW installations or other mission-critical facilities." Speaking at the White House and flanked by members of his cabinet, coal workers and GOP lawmakers, Trump framed coal as vital to defense and industrial production. BIDEN’S GREEN ENERGY FIASCO, NOT TRUMP'S REFORMS, IS JACKING UP YOUR ELECTRIC BILL…