White House reconstitutes National Coal Council, tasks members with two rapid studies to protect and expand U.S. coal
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Summary
The administration relaunched the National Coal Council, asked it to produce two studies — on maintaining/growing the coal fleet and expanding U.S. coal exports — set a fast review timetable and asked members for volunteers and working contacts to deliver draft outlines next week.
The White House formally reconstituted the National Coal Council on a livestreamed meeting, asking the industry‑led panel to deliver two rapid studies aimed at sustaining and expanding U.S. coal. A DOE official said the council will produce outlines and recruit volunteers within a week, with reports targeted for delivery by early to mid‑summer.
The administration asked the council to focus on (1) pathways to protect America's coal‑fired power generation and (2) options for expanding U.S. coal exports, and pledged a "whole of government" approach to expedite permitting and cut regulatory delays. The official asked the council’s newly named leadership — Jim Grech (chair) and Jimmy Brock (vice chair) — to coordinate workshops and working groups and to submit an initial outline and contact list in response to a letter due next week.
Why it matters: Council members and federal officials framed the work as urgent to preserve baseload power for grid reliability and to support U.S. competitiveness as data centers and manufacturing scale up. Members repeatedly tied coal availability to national security and to the nation’s ability to compete for advanced manufacturing and AI infrastructure.
Industry participation: The meeting recorded a broad roll call of CEOs and association representatives. Jim Grech (Peabody Energy) opened the membership introductions and the chair outlined the process: the council will solicit working‑level contacts from each organization, designate committee leads and expect rapid follow‑through rather than waiting until the final reports are submitted. Several industry speakers volunteered to form subcommittees on mining, plant upgrades and exports.
Public comment: Deputy designated federal officers read the Federal Register notice and attested that no public oral statements or written comments had been received seven days before the meeting, satisfying Federal Advisory Committee Act requirements for the public‑comment period.
Next steps: Members should expect a letter next week with the initial outlines and three asks: review the outline, propose volunteers to lead topics/subtopics and provide working contacts. Chairs said workshops and regional listening sessions will follow; the DOE official invited members to a February 5 tour at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The council adjourned after confirming the timetable for volunteers and subcommittees and scheduling future committee work to prepare the two reports for the administration.