Trump Announces $700 Million To Support Coal Industry

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is again seeking to boost the struggling U.S. coal industry. A plan announced Thursday would spend nearly $700 million to support coal-fired power plants and coal exports. A White House official said the administration will use authority under a Cold War-era national defense law to support 13 coal plants across the country and help build coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia. If built, the plants would be the first new U.S. coal plants since 2013. The money will also help restart a coal-fired power plant in Maryland and support construction of a long-delayed coal export terminal in Oakland, California. Environmentalists said the plan would “put polluters first” and jeopardize Americans’ health.