October 7, 2025 - State and local leaders gathered at the West Virginia State Capitol lower rotunda Monday afternoon to highlight the Trump administration’s $625 million investment to America’s coal industry.

The press conference was hosted by the West Virginia GOP and West Virginia Coal Association. 

The big investment will go toward coal power plants and 13.1 million acres of federal land for mining leases and other programs. During the press conference, speakers applauded the Trump administration’s efforts to expand the coal industry.

President of the West Virginia Coal Association, Chris Hamilton, called the investment a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“He’s [Trump] pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to help upgrade our business, to help upgrade our coal fired power generators around the great state of West Virginia, regionally and national,” Hamilton said.

Chair of the WV GOP, Del. Josh Holstein, (R) Boone, hosted the press conference and said this investment is personal to him, having family who have worked in southern West Virginia coalfields.

“As far as I can go back, all the all the men in my family were coal miners. So the coal industry is extremely important not only to me and to who I am as a person, but to my industry, to who I represent in my district back in Boone County and West Virginia,” Holstein said.

Leaders spoke about staying competitive with other coal producers such as Australia, China and Russia.

Many parts of the country are moving away from fossil fuels, but Attorney General J.B. McCuskey said he believes this investment is worth it.

“This investment will show the world that the men and women of the West Virginia coal industry are ready to meet that demand, as they always have to ensure that America retains its place as a leader on the world stage,” McCuskey said.

The money in this investment will be given through projects and grants that are overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

The DOE will use the $625 million in funding for:

• $350 million for Coal Recommissioning, and Retrofit: for projects to demonstrate readiness to recommission or modernize coal power units and provide near-term electric power reliability and capacity.
• $175 million for Rural Capacity and Energy Affordability Projects: for coal power projects that provide direct benefits of energy affordability, reliability and resiliency in rural communities.
• $50 million to support the Development and Implementation of Advanced Wastewater Management Systems: to demonstrate scalable, cost-effective wastewater management systems that enables coal plants to extend their service life, reduce operational costs and enhance commercial byproduct recovery.
• $25 million for Engineering and Implementation of Dual Firing Retrofits: to enable coal power plants to seamlessly switch between fuels, achieve full steam capacity and economic flexibility to extend plant lifespans.
• $25 million for Development and Testing of Natural Gas Cofiring Systems: to support investments that will maintain boiler efficiency and reliability when utilizing 100% natural gas. 

More information about the investment can be found here.