President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders supporting coal are expected to lead to additional hires for the industry, said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., on Thursday.

Capito, who attended a White House ceremony for the orders on Tuesday, said Trump’s actions “formally ended, from the president’s perch, the war on coal.”

“I think as coal is again a very vital part of our economy and our power production – as it has been for years and is projected for years – the fact However, it’s unlikely any new coal-fired power plants will be built as a result of the president’s orders, Capito said.

“You and I both know that’s a pretty steep hill to climb,” she said.

“There have been no new coal plants built in this country for quite some time. I think Longview might be one of the newest ones,” she said

However, it’s unlikely any new coal-fired power plants will be built as a result of the president’s orders, Capito said.

“You and I both know that’s a pretty steep hill to climb,” she said.

“There have been no new coal plants built in this country for quite some time. I think Longview might be one of the newest ones,” she said

The Longview Power Plant in Monongalia County, near Maidsville, went into operation in 2011.

The president’s plan instead calls for the industry to “modernize what we have,” Capito said.

“So that we can run them through their entire life and then keep that employment very robust,” she said.

Trump signed four separate orders related to coal, with provisions including:

• Reinvigorating the country’s “Beautiful Clean Coal Industry”;

• Preventing what the administration classifies as overreach by state governments;

• Strengthening the reliability of the nation’s electric grid.

Numerous West Virginia officials and coal industry stakeholders applauded the president’s actions.

“For years, our industry has faced undue pressure from excessive regulatory measures that have led to job loss and stifled industry growth and innovation,” said Chris Hamilton, president of the West Virginia Coal Association. “We believe this will not only benefit our state but also contribute to a stronger national energy policy.”

There are nine coal-fired electrical generation facilities in West Virginia: Pleasants Power Station, Harrison Power Station, Mountaineer Power, John Amos, Mount Storm, Morgantown Energy Associates, Longview Power, Fort Martin Power Station and Mitchell Power.

West Virginia is the second-largest coal producer in the nation, after Wyoming, and accounts for 15% of U.S. total coal production, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

West Virginia has 16% of U.S. recoverable coal reserves, the third-largest state reserves after Wyoming and Illinois.

In 2023, coal-fired power plants accounted for 86% of West Virginia’s total electricity net generation. Renewable energy resources, primarily wind energy and hydroelectric power, contributed 7%, and natural gas also provided about 7%.