Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) said he supports President Trump’s efforts to boost coal mining in the U.S., reviving the industry once credited as the country’s largest energy source.
“Coal is not turning its back on any of the energy forms. Coal just wants a place at the table. And today coal needs a place at the table,” Justice said during a Tuesday appearance on NewsNation’s “NewsNation Now.”
The West Virginia lawmaker said he supports the president’s efforts to restructure trade deals and increase the national rate of production amid the threat of a looming debt crisis.
“America can’t do without its fossil fuels. Maybe someday, maybe someday, but today it can’t.
And if we don’t watch out and we keep spiraling in more and more and more debt, we don’t make anything in America and on and on and on,” Justice said.
“What President Trump is trying to do is calm down these horrible trade imbalances. Do things that are going to really bring wealth and opportunity back to this country,” he added.
The president is soon expected to sign an executive order to bolster coal production on federal lands and exclude coal projects from environmental reviews.
The new measure comes weeks after the leader signed a separate order invoking a wartime power under the Defense Production Act to expand domestic U.S. mining production of “critical minerals” and boost manufacturing.
After days of plunging market share scares, Wall Street saw significant gains on Tuesday for the first time after Trump’s tariffs announcement shook investors and rattled company shares. However, the glimmers of optimism surrounding the tariffs did not last.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 300 points, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite each posting losses in excess of 1.5 and 2 percent, respectively.
But Justice encouraged people to allow the administration’s actions to set in before evaluating the impact of new trade policies.
“I say give him his due, give him his due. It’s too early to be running through the villages with our hair on fire,” the legislator said.
