Coal Must Remain at the Heart of Energy Grid, Says Syd Peng
By Syd Peng
America’s power supply is stretched to the breaking point. The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), the nation’s grid reliability watchdog, recently found that more than half the nation now faces a high risk of blackouts over the next five years. It’s a remarkable warning. It should also be a clear call to action.
One of NERC’s key findings in its latest long-term reliability assessment is that the nation continues to lose well-operating power plants, namely coal power plants, at an unsustainable rate. It’s a challenge now compounded by a surge in power demand from new manufacturing, electric vehicles, and the rapid addition of enormous data centers, as well as the power needs of large cities.
Syd Peng
NERC expects the nation’s peak winter power demand to jump by 245 gigawatts in just the next decade. That level of new demand is equivalent to adding the power needs of 150 million new homes to the grid. The strain on our already overtaxed power supply is significant.
If the United States is to address the grid reliability crisis now at our doorstep, there’s no doing so without the coal fleet. That reality was underscored by Winter Storm Fern and the brutal cold that followed. Fern dropped snow and ice from Texas to Maine, pushing power supplies on one regional grid after another to their limit. While grid operators have nimbly navigated surging power demand with a series of emergency orders from the Department of Energy, there was no way to keep the lights and heat on without coal.
Time and again, when bitter cold grips the nation, it’s coal generation that surges to power when other sources of electricity falter. Exactly that happened with Fern.
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MSHA Compliance Training Supports Mining Operations Across Key U.S. States
Industrial Consulting & Training LLC has announced the continued expansion of its MSHA training and certification services to support mining operations across Houston, California, Utah, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, Phoenix, Alaska, Texas, and Alabama, addressing growing demand for compliant safety education as mining activity and regulatory oversight increase nationwide.
As mining activity continues across both surface and underground operations in the United States, safety training remains a central requirement for protecting workers and maintaining compliance with federal regulations. MSHA training and certification programs are structured to address the real hazards miners face, while also ensuring employers meet federal safety standards established under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.
Across regions such as Texas, the western states, and parts of the Midwest and Southeast, mining operations face varying geological conditions, equipment demands, and workforce challenges. These differences reinforce the need for standardized safety education that can be applied consistently across job sites, while still reflecting real-world working conditions.
Regulatory Framework Behind MSHA Training Requirement
MSHA training requirements are governed by federal law and apply to all miners working at surface and underground mine sites. These regulations are intended to reduce fatalities, injuries, and occupational illnesses by establishing minimum safety training standards for new miners, experienced miners, contractors, and supervisors.
Part 46 training applies primarily to surface mines, including sand, gravel, stone, and other non-metal operations. Part 48 training applies to underground mines and certain surface mines with more complex operational risks. Both frameworks require initial training, task training, hazard awareness, and annual refresher instruction.
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Over 500 More Miners Slated To Lose Jobs In April
Since the beginning of 2025, West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky have lost more than 1,600 coal jobs, including several hundred layoffs announced Friday.
MetroNews first reported that Greenbrier Minerals, LLC plans to shutter seven mining operations. The company has issued a WARN Notice for more than 500 employees. The layoffs will begin on April 14 and will be permanent.
The company blamed the layoffs on adverse market conditions.
WARN notices are a legally required written notice when a company with more than 100 employees decides layoffs are necessary.
WorkForce West Virginia received the WARN Notice on Feb. 13. It notes that the job losses are expected to be permanent.
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BREAKING NEWS: President Donald J. Trump Strengthens United States National Defense with America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Power Generation Fleet
STRENGTHENING NATIONAL DEFENSE WITH RELIABLE COAL POWER: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Department of War to prioritize long-term Power Purchase Agreements with America’s beautiful, clean coal fleet to ensure military installations and critical defense facilities have uninterrupted, on-demand baseload power.
The Order directs the Secretary of War, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, to approve long-term Power Purchase Agreements or similar contracts with coal-fired energy production facilities to serve Department of War installations and other mission-critical facilities.
Priority will be given to projects that enhance grid reliability and blackout prevention, on-site fuel security, and mission assurance for defense and intelligence capabilities.
ENSURING A RESILIENT GRID: President Trump is committed to strengthening the electric grid and believes that beautiful, clean coal plays a critical role in ensuring reliable energy, national security, and economic stability.
Baseload power and a reliable grid are vital to powering military installations, operations, defense-industrial production, and ensuring the safety of the American people; any prolonged disruption threatens operational readiness and national security.
It is imperative that the Department of War strategically utilize America’s vast coal resources that have proven reliability in providing continuous, on-demand baseload power.
Intermittent sources like wind and solar are unreliable in extreme weather, leaving the grid and our defense installations that rely on them vulnerable to interruptions in power.
MAKING AMERICA ENERGY DOMINANT: President Trump believes it is vital for America to be energy dominant and energy secure.
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Coal Power Saved Americans $30-40 Billion in 2025
Coal has been the nation’s grid reliability MVP this winter. It was also consumers’ affordability MVP in 2025. A new report by Energy Ventures Analysis (EVA) finds that last year coal generation served as an important buffer against energy inflation delivering $30 to $40 billion in total savings, lowering Americans' power bills an average of $100 to $150 per household. Watch our new video for more:
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