President Donald J. Trump, Governor Gianforte Unleash American Energy

Gianforte visits White House, Trump signs executive order

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Joining President Donald J. Trump at the White House, Governor Greg Gianforte on April 8th, celebrated executive orders signed by the president aimed at unleashing American energy.

“After years of Joe Biden picking winners and losers, President Donald J. Trump is flipping the switch to power our country with American-made energy,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Coal keeps the lights on in Montana, and I’m grateful for the President’s strong executive action today to pull the plug on Biden’s failed energy policies, lower energy costs, and restore national security.”

“For four long years, Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats tried to abolish the American coal industry,” President Trump said. “Shutting down dozens of coal plants, banning coal leases on federal lands, and putting thousands of coal miners out of work, destroying their lives.”

Speaking to actions already taken by the administration, President Trump emphasized the importance of coal mining to Montana.

“Already under our leadership, the Department of Interior has already approved the expansion of the Spring Creek Mine in Montana, supporting 280 coal mining jobs, unlocking over 40 million tons of coal. There is more to come,” President Trump said.

During the visit, the governor joined miners, governors, members of Congress, and energy leaders as the president signed executive orders to restore coal production in the United States.

The executive orders signed by President Trump are aimed at achieving American energy dominance and reinvigorating the nation’s coal industry by directing the National Energy Dominance Council to designate coal as a mineral and requiring federal agencies to rescind any anti-coal policies.

The governor added, “I’ll continue to work with the President and his administration to ensure Montanans have access to affordable and reliable energy for their homes, schools, and small businesses.”

Under President Biden, energy costs rose 30%, contributing to the nationwide affordability crisis.

In May 2024, the Biden administration released a Resource Management Plan Amendment which prohibited future coal leases in eastern Montana through 2038. Additionally, the Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency issued a series of rules aimed at shutting down coal production at Colstrip that would have cost Montana consumers $1.1 billion over 20 years.

As one of the largest coal plants in the western United States, Colstrip employs around 360 Montanans at the power station and another 370 at the Rosebud Mine. The 25,000-acre mine produces upwards of six to eight million tons of coal to supply the adjacent four coal-fired generating units which provide enough energy to power nearly 500,000 homes.

Since taking office, Gov. Gianforte has promoted an “all-of-the-above” energy approach, to encourage American-made energy produced from coal, natural gas, wind, solar, and hydropower.

In the coming weeks, the governor will launch an Unleashing Energy Task Force. The task force will develop long-term solutions to ensure Montana has affordable, reliable energy now and well into the future.

View President Trump’s executive orders here.

Watch President Trump’s signing ceremony here.