WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will expand coal mine leasing on federal lands and provide hundreds of millions of dollars to support more coal-fired power generation , officials said on Monday.

The plan is part of a broader effort by the administration to reverse the decline of coal use in the U.S., a fossil fuel that has been hard hit by environmental regulation and competition from natural gas in recent years.

At a press conference in Washington, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said his department would open 13.1 million acres (5.3 million hectares) of federal land for coal leasing. The Department of Energy , meanwhile, said it would provide $625 million in funds to expand power generation fueled by coal.

Coal-burning plants generated about 15% of U.S. electricity in

See Full Page