WASHINGTON, D.C. – National Mining Association (NMA) president and CEO Rich Nolan issued the following statement on the release of the North American Electric Reliability Corp.’s (NERC) 2026 Long-term Reliability Assessment.

“This assessment should put to bed any debate about the need to keep America’s coal plants running–the era of energy subtraction must permanently be put in the rearview mirror. Electricity demand is soaring, and the coal fleet is ready to provide power with the ability to ramp up to meet the nation’s needs. Federal and state policies must align to tackle this crisis and ensure our coal fleet is available to provide the fuel security and dispatchable fuel optionality that has kept the lights on and homes warm throughout the bitter cold that has gripped much of the nation over the past week. Coal plants are providing a reliability backstop on grids across the country and are the leading source of power for tens-of-millions of Americans when they need it most. The Trump administration’s embrace of the U.S. coal fleet is not only a most welcome return to energy policy sanity but a clear acknowledgement of a reliability imperative.”

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