US Mining and Energy Extraction Sector NAICS 21

Dec 14, 2025 - Alaska’s Crude Production to Rise

• In November, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecast crude oil produced from Alaska will reach 477,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2026, the most since 2018. Moreover, after decades of decline, the agency said it expects a 13% (55,000 b/d) increase in Alaska oil production, the largest annual increase since the 1980s. The EIA credits the recent growth to two projects on Alaska’s North Slope: ConocoPhillips’s Nuna project, which started production in December 2024 and is expected to produce 20,000 b/d at its peak; and the Pikka Phase 1 project, jointly owned by Santos and Repsol, that’s expected to begin production in early 2026 and reach peak production of 80,000 b/d by mid-2026, nearly 20% of total Alaska oil production in 2025. EIA noted that the wells from the new projects outperform most Alaskan wells.
• 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 mining, 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.

• The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a $625 million investment to expand and reinvigorate America’s coal industry, according to a department press release. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has called US coal essential to powering America’s reindustrialization and winning the AI race. The DOE has committed to providing: $350 million to restart or upgrade old coal plants, improving their capacity and reliability; $175 million for projects to bring power to rural areas, aiming to deliver cheaper, more reliable coal-fired electricity; $50 million to upgrade coal plant wastewater systems; and $25 million each for dual-firing retrofits, so plants can switch between coal and other fuels like natural gas, and developing 100% natural gas co-firing to keep boilers running efficiently if a plant uses gas instead of coal. America’s Power, a trade group representing coal interests, welcomed the announcement, while critics called it a colossal waste of money.
• Fed up with waiting for the Trump administration to to enforce federal limits on silica dust exposure, coal miners traveled to Washington in October to protest outside the Labor Department, The New York Times reports. Miners from West Virginia and other coal mining states say the administration has failed to protect them from black lung disease, an incurable illness caused by inhaling coal and silica dust. Cases of black lung disease have spiked recently, particularly among younger miners, due to exposure to silica dust, which, like coal dust, is a carcinogen. Mining industry groups have sued to block silica dust regulation limiting miners’ exposure citing the cost to mine operators. While the Biden administration set limits on miners’ exposure to the silica dust similar to that in the construction and other industries, the Trump administration has paused enforcement while the lawsuit plays out.