How Trump, Data Centers and Pricey Gas Are Fueling a US Coal Revival

The US coal industry is having a good year. Demand for the dirtiest fossil fuel is increasing, utilities are running their plants harder, and miners are boosting production.

The country’s coal consumption had been trending downward for much of the past two decades in the face of cheap natural gas, tighter environmental restrictions and pressure to curb planet-warming emissions. But utilities are now concerned about being able to keep the lights on and the growing fleet of data centers buzzing.