Coal is a polluting energy source, but Trump wants to revive it with these sweeping executive orders

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a series of executive orders aimed at boosting the struggling coal industry, a reliable but polluting energy source that’s long been in decline.

Under the four orders, Trump uses his emergency authority to allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence, and electric cars.

Trump also directed federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands...