National Coal Council Report: With Decisive Government Action, U.S. Can Capitalize on Significant Global Export Opportunity
The National Coal Council (NCC) has released "Outlook and Opportunities for U.S. Coal Exports," a report showing the significant potential that exists for the U.S. coal industry if the government takes decisive action to improve infrastructure, remove financial obstacles and unnecessary costs from the market, and include coal products in trade agreements.
"American coal should be dominating the global markets, and with improved infrastructure and fairer market access, it can," said Jimmy Brock, NCC Vice Chair and Chairman and CEO of Core Natural Resources, who led the development of the report. "This report shows that the economic case for action to support increased coal exports is clear, supporting U.S. jobs, improving the trade balance, and strengthening U.S. economic and energy security."
The report, along with a companion report, "Maximizing the Value of the U.S. Coal Fleet," was accepted by the U.S. Department of Energy today at the NCC meeting in Washington, D.C. The NCC was reconstituted in June 2025 with Peabody President and CEO Jim Grech as Chair and Jimmy Brock as Vice Chair. It includes more than 60 members across the coal value chain and related stakeholder groups.
U.S. Exports: Meaningful with Much Greater Potential
In 2025, the U.S. exported 93 million short tons of coal, including 50.1 million short tons of metallurgical coal and 42.5 million short tons of thermal coal, creating more than $10 billion in revenue and 36,000-plus jobs. The report makes clear that, with abundant resources at home and strong demand abroad, the U.S. could be producing much more, creating jobs, benefitting the U.S. trade position and supporting our global allies in need of high-quality coal.
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DOE and DOL Partner to Advance Mining Innovation and Safety
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a framework to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, advanced sensors, and other emerging technologies across the nation’s mining sector.
The five-year agreement strengthens federal coordination to advance mining innovation while improving worker safety, increasing productivity, and supporting the secure domestic production of critical minerals. By combining DOE’s expertise in energy technologies and resource recovery with DOL’s longstanding leadership in mine safety, the partnership advances the Trump Administration’s commitment to strengthen critical mineral supply chains, support high-paying American jobs, and unleash American energy dominance.
“America’s security and economic future depend on developing a strong domestic mining sector,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “By pairing the Energy Department’s technical expertise with the Labor Department’s leadership on mine safety, we can support American miners, secure domestic supply chains, and put cutting-edge technology to work for the people who power our nation.”
Chris Wright
“Today’s agreement ensures that the Department of Labor and the Department of Energy will work side by side to prepare the mining workforce, advance mining technology, and support the safe production of the coal that powers America’s future,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “It is our commitment to you that this MOU will further President Trump’s promise to restore coal as a key driver of America’s energy supply chain and American coal will again be the envy of the world for generations to come.”
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How Global Energy Production is Changing
The world is using more electricity than ever, but where this energy comes from is changing. Renewable sources like wind and solar power are growing rapidly, especially in certain parts of the world.
Here’s a closer look at long-term trends in global energy production, based on a Pew Research Center analysis of data from Ember, an independent think tank focusing on global energy trends.
Most electricity still comes from burning fossil fuels. But a growing share comes from wind and solar power. Worldwide, 57% of all electricity generated in 2025 came from burning coal, gas or other fossil fuels, down from 65% in 2000.
Note: “Other fossil” includes generation from oil and petroleum products and manufactured gases and waste. “Other renewables,” which includes geothermal, tidal and wave power, is not shown (<1%).
Coal in particular has seen a decline over the past decade: In 2025, a third of all global electricity came from burning coal, down from a peak of 41% in 2013.
By contrast, wind and solar power account for a rising share of global electricity generation. These two sources together accounted for 17% of all global electricity in 2025, compared with less than 5% in 2015.
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Grid Operator in US Central States Warns of Potential Rolling Blackouts
The regional U.S. grid operator for 14 central states warned on Monday evening that it could order rolling blackouts because the power system was on the brink of an electricity shortfall due to record demand.
Several power plants unexpectedly tripped offline, leaving reserve margins razor thin amid a heat wave in the territory stretching from North Dakota to Louisiana.
The pool, called the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), issued a level three energy alert, meaning the grid operator used some or all of its operating reserves to serve demand. The grid operator said it had not had to order rolling blackouts despite the high risk.
SPP issued the level three alert about 6 p.m. EDT for its western territory, before ratcheting down the threat level a couple of hours later.
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Proposed First Energy Gas Plant Argued Before WVPSC
Below is a message from Chris Hamilton, President, West Virginia Coal Association:
Chris Hamilton
The Association spent the biggest part of last week preparing for and participating in the case involving First Energy's newly proposed 2.1 MW, $2.4 Billion gas plant before the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC).
The Sierra Club, UMWA, and WV Large Energy Users joined with WVCA in questioning the need and necessity of the plant while the state Manufacturers Association, Natural Gas Association and Chamber of Commerce all joined with First Energy favoring the construction of the plant along with bringing it into the states regulated base.
The PSC held a public hearing on Wednesday, July 15 and two full days of hearings on Thursday and Friday receiving testimony by a list of First Energy officials and other environmental, economic and technical experts.
Below for your examination is draft set the comments the Association prepared for the public hearing, testimony presented by Jason Bostic and UMWA President Brian Sanson. Jason and the Associations PSC counsel, Jake Altmeyer did a brilliant job during the two days of hearings during the testimony and cross examination of the companies and other witnesses.
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