"President Donald Trump's efforts to help the U.S. coal industry at home are being undermined by falling sales abroad amid his trade war with China, new government reports show. China has stopped importing U.S. coal, accounting for most of a 14% decline in U.S. coal exports so far this year, according to analysts and the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Trump's meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week suggests trade progress."
"Trump has been easing up on regulations and opening up mining on federal lands. The result has been to "keep our lights on, our economy strong, and America Energy Dominant," Interior Department spokesperson Charlotte Taylor said in an e-mailed statement Friday. The administration has also reduced royalty rates for coal extracted from federal lands and in September pledged $625 million to bolster coal power generation, including by recommissioning or modernizing old coal plants amid growing electricity demand from artificial intelligence and data centers."
U.S. coal exports have declined sharply this year, driven largely by China stopping imports and tariffs that resulted in a 14% drop in exports from January through September. China imposed an additional 15% tariff in February and a 34% reciprocal tariff in April, contributing to the export decline. Domestic measures have eased regulations, opened federal lands to mining, reduced royalty rates, and pledged $625 million to support coal power generation, including modernizing old plants. Recent federal coal lease sales failed to attract acceptable bids. U.S. coal production rose about 6%, driven by higher natural gas prices rather than policy changes.
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