Coal Mining NAICS 2121

Nov 27, 2025 - AI Lifeline For Coal

• Demand for electricity from artificial intelligence data centers is breathing new life into US coal plants, E&E News by Politico reports. Utilities have delayed the retirement of at least 15 aging coal-fired plants to power booming data-center growth, a reversal in the long-term decline of coal. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is rolling back pollution regulations for many of these coal facilities, allowing higher emissions. For coal producers, this suggests stronger short- to medium-term demand as existing coal plants ramp up operations rather than shut down, potentially stabilizing coal prices and production. However, the policy changes also raise public health and climate risks, which could ultimately fuel legal challenges or regulatory pushback. More than 500 coal-fired power plants were retired between 2010 and 2019, according to federal data.
• In November, the Department of Energy announced $355 million for two notices of funding opportunities (NOFO) to boost US critical minerals production, including $275 million for piloting recovery of valuable materials from coal-based feedstocks and industrial byproducts, and up to $80 million to establish what the department referred to as its Mine of the Future Initiative to accelerate technology commercialization and increase the competitiveness of domestic mining operations. The funding opportunities creates a new revenue stream for coal facilities capable of extracting rare earth elements and other critical minerals from coal or coal by-products and supports innovation to commercialize coal-ash conversion and mineral recovery technologies, which could help to revitalize coal-dependent communities. The investments aim to demonstrate the feasibility of recovering critical minerals from existing US infrastructure and industrial activity, reducing waste while building new domestic supply chains for high-value materials.

• The Bureau of Land Management is moving forward with a key coal project in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin that could unlock access to more than 440 million tons of coal on federal land, Coal Age reports. In August, the BLM released a final environmental impact statement for the proposed West Antelope III coal lease-by-application project. The lease area covers about 3,500 acres next to the existing Antelope mine in Campbell and Converse counties. The project allows Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC) to expand its operations on federal lands. The BLM resurrected the 10-year-old lease request in July after years of limbo due to a lack of interest on behalf of NTEC and a Biden-era leasing moratorium in the basin. Wyoming leads the US in coal production, providing about 40% of the nation’s coal through the top 10 producing mines in the Powder River Basin.
• Producer prices for coal mining firms fell 1% in August compared to a year ago, after rising 1.5% in the previous August-versus-August annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Employment by coal mines shrank 5% year over year in August, while average wages at mining firms inched up 1% YoY in July to $36.15 per hour, BLS data show. Competition from cleaner alternative energy sources – notably natural gas for electricity – has led to declining demand for coal and coal miners, whose numbers have declined by more than a third (36%) over the past decade, according to the BLS.