Trump gives Oakland $75 million for its new terminal in big boost to coal industry

WASHINGTON – President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that provides $75 million for a new coal export terminal in Oakland, California, designed to move the fossil fuel from western states to overseas markets. 

The Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal has been in development for a decade. Delays have come from the many political, legal, and financial battles the project has endured.

But, using the Defense Production Act, Trump ordered its construction. Once finished, the terminal will open a pathway for coal shipments out of the western United States, primarily Utah and Wyoming.

President Trump signed an executive order giving $75 million to Oakland, California, to build a terminal to ship coal MediaPunch / BACKGRID

This federal funding will allow the project to break ground this summer, a White House official told The Post, and ship coal out of the port by summer of 2028. 

The terminal is predicted to export up to 12 million tons of coal annually to Asian markets. 

“The West Gateway Terminal will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” the official said. 

It’s expected to create over 1,400 jobs on-site and support thousands more across the Western United States, from miners and railroad workers to port workers, engineers, and construction workers, the official noted.

Trump’s order is a general boon for America’s coal industry. 

It also includes $200 million to build two new coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia and to restart a coal plant in Maryland. This will be the first new coal plants in the U.S. since 2013. 

Additionally, the order provides $425 million to support 13 existing plants across 10 states: West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoman, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

The White House official said approximately 12,500 coal jobs will be saved with these boosts to coal plants.

Oakland has the ninth biggest port in the nation and the new terminal would focus on shipping coal to Asian markets AP Photo/Eric Risberg

Environmental groups have protested construction of the Oakland terminal and are expected to continue to do so.

Developer Phil Tagami won a huge victory last year when the California Supreme Court ruled in his favor that the City of Oakland wrongfully terminated his lease for the terminal.

But the protests against it will continue. The San Francisco “No Coal” group rallied its members in April amid reports the terminal was going to get a boost in funding.

“Leaders of the campaign are girding themselves for a new battle, one that will be waged outside the courtroom,” the group said. 

Oakland has the country’s ninth biggest port but it’s also situated in one of the most liberal areas of the country, next to San Francisco, making the terminal a target.

Trump has long praised the benefits of “clean coal” and has worked to undo many of the environmental regulations Joe Biden put in place during his presidency.