UPDATE 1-Trump directs Energy Department to issue funds to keep coal plants online

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he ‌was directing the Department of Energy to issue funds to coal plants in West Virginia, Ohio, North ‌Carolina and Kentucky to keep them ‌online.

Trump announced that the Energy Department will provide six coal plants in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, ⁠Virginia and ​West Virginia ⁠with $175 million for upgrades. That funding comes from the ⁠bipartisan infrastructure bill passed during the Biden administration that ​had been earmarked for rural capacity and ⁠energy affordability coal projects.

Trump, who has called climate change ⁠a ​hoax, has promised to fast-track energy infrastructure to meet rising electricity demand from artificial ⁠intelligence and data centers, declaring an "energy emergency" to keep ⁠the ⁠United States competitive.