Trump Says He Reached Deal With South Korea, Japan to Expand U.S. Coal Exports

According to Financial News, Donald Trump said on the 11th (local time) that trade agreements with South Korea, Japan and India have allowed the United States to greatly expand its coal exports.
In a speech at a White House event aimed at revitalizing the coal industry, President Donald Trump stated, "Over the past few months, we have made historic trade agreements with Japan, South Korea, India and other countries to dramatically increase our coal exports." He added, "We are now exporting coal all over the world."
This is the first time Trump has explicitly linked U.S. coal exports to a trade agreement with South Korea.
However, his remarks may be connected to a message he posted on Truth Social after meeting South Korea’s trade negotiation delegation on July 30 last year. At the time, he wrote that "South Korea has agreed to purchase $100 billion worth of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) or other energy products." Observers interpret this to mean that coal could be included in those "other energy products."
In his speech, Trump argued, "Coal is vital to national security and essential for everything from steel production and shipbuilding to artificial intelligence (AI)." He also insisted, "With new technologies, we can keep coal very clean." Repeatedly calling it "clean, beautiful coal," he described coal as "the most reliable and dependable source of energy."
He criticized former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration for shutting down coal-fired power plants, calling that policy "a path to ruin." Trump claimed that while there were no approvals for coal mining projects during Biden’s four years in office, "in just one year under the Trump administration, we have already approved more than 70 coal mines."
Trump also said he had directed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to provide funding to keep coal-fired power plants running in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and Kentucky. In addition, he explained that he had signed an executive order requiring the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to enter into new power purchase agreements with coal plants.
“The military will purchase a substantial amount of coal, and it will be far cheaper and more effective,” he added.
At the event, Trump received a trophy from the Washington Coal Club recognizing him as the "clear champion of beautiful, clean coal."
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is reportedly planning this week to scrap the "endangerment finding" that has served as the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gas emissions. U.S. media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), reported that the move could mark the start of a broader rollback of fossil fuel regulations.
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km@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Kyung-min Reporter