While America’s pursuit of rare earth metals makes the most headlines, the Trump administration turned the spotlight on the nation’s biggest mining export success: Coal.

For rare earths, the primary challenge is building domestic processing capacity to reduce dependence on Chinese refiners. That effort is expected to require years of investment in new facilities, technology and workforce development.

Coal, by contrast, already has an established production and export infrastructure. The National Coal Council contends that policy changes focused on transportation and export capacity could increase U.S. shipments to international markets in the near term.

On July 21, the National Coal Council presented Energy Secretary Chris Wright with two reports addressing the nation’s coal-generating fleet and opportunities to expand coal exports. The council, which President Trump revived after it was terminated under President Joe Biden, includes representatives from coal producers, utilities and related industries.

“On day one, President Trump ended the war on beautiful, clean coal,” Wright said at the meeting.

On the domestic side, industry advocates say coal can help ease the panic over data centers — which are vital to economic growth — driving up electric rates for American consumers.

“This report makes clear that preserving and better utilizing our existing coal fleet is one of the simplest, fastest and most affordable ways to help meet growing electricity demand,” said Michelle Bloodworth, the chair of the National Coal Council Electricity Subcommittee and the president and CEO of America’s Power.

On the foreign trade side, America still relies on imported rare earth minerals, which are a vital part of the technology production supply line. The government has offered incentives and promoted new mining projects to try to onshore production, but industry analysts note that mining represents only one step in the process.

China continues to dominate the refining and separation of rare earth elements, giving it significant influence over the global supply chain. China accounts for 90 percent of global rare earth processing capacity. As a result, rare earth ore mined in countries including the United States and Australia is frequently shipped to China for processing before returning to manufacturers as finished materials.

Analysts say that dependence limits the effect of efforts to increase domestic mining alone. Not so with coal.

“With more than 1,200 new coal generating units under development globally, and new steel production facilities coming online in Asia, U.S. coal is necessary for the stability of the global economy,” according to the new report.

Metallurgical coal differs from thermal coal used to generate electricity. It is a key ingredient in steel production and has no commercially viable substitute for manufacturing virgin steel at industrial scale.

According to the report, steel demand continues to grow as developing nations invest in infrastructure, transportation systems and industrial construction. The council says U.S. producers are well positioned to meet part of that demand because of the country’s large reserves, established mining operations and transportation network.

“With exports accounting for 18 percent of all U.S. coal production in 2025, this portion of the industry is responsible for roughly 36,200 U.S. jobs spanning mining, rail transport, barge operation and port logistics,” the report said.“Expanding U.S. coal exports would create numerous jobs across the mining and transportation sector.”

At the meeting, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum noted that the United States also maintains vast coal reserves on federal lands. He referenced a newly released U.S. Geological Survey report showing more than 355 billion short tons of coal reserves in the lower 48 states and billions more in Alaska.

“Domestic coal resources will last for another 600 years. There’s a long life ahead of us,” Burgum said. “Coal has never been cleaner and more efficient than it is right now. America and the future of the economy depend on electricity more than ever.”

Jessica Towhey writes on education and energy policy for InsideSources.com.