Trump invests $700 million in coal-fired power plants

US President Donald Trump has announced a plan to spend nearly $700 million to support coal-fired power plants and coal exports in the United States.

Under the plan, the administration would use a Cold War-era national security law to support 13 nuclear power plants in the country and help build new plants in Alaska and West Virginia — the first since 2013.

His administration has taken several steps to halt the decline of the coal industry, including opening millions of acres of federal land to mining and funding the modernization of existing power plants.

Under executive orders, several power plants in various states have been ordered to continue operating beyond their scheduled shutdown dates, due to increased demand for energy from new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

However, environmental organizations have sharply criticized this policy, warning that it will increase pollution and energy costs, while harming clean energy efforts.

Coal has declined significantly in its use in the US, falling to about 15 percent of electricity generation by 2024, while natural gas and renewables have taken over the majority of the market share.