Washington: US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday to promote the US coal industry. "It's such an honor to be here and making such a big move, such a bold move, in energy," Trump told reporters at a signing ceremony at the White House.

According to Anadolu Agency, Trump argued that former President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats attempted to "abolish" the American coal industry for four years. He criticized the Democratic policies, stating, "The Democrats green new scam killed jobs and sent prices soaring here in America. But meanwhile, China opened two coal plants every single week, and other countries likewise went very strongly back into coal."

Trump outlined that the new executive order aims at slashing regulations previously targeting the coal industry. "We're slashing unnecessary regulations that targeted the beautiful clean coal. We will rapidly expedite leases for coal mining on federal lands ... and we'll streamline permitting," he stated. Furthermore, he directed Energy Secretary Chris Wright to allocate billions in federal funding to advance coal technology and prevent the closure of Arizona's coal plant.

Additionally, Trump announced plans to instruct the Justice Department to challenge state or local regulations adversely affecting coal miners. He also intends to leverage the Defense Production Act to "turbocharge" coal mining in the US, emphasizing the nation's increasing electricity needs.

He concluded by mentioning a related executive order signed earlier in the day to strengthen the electric grid and ensure the availability of coal-fired power plants to meet the growing electricity demand.