MAHA Leaders Urge Trump to Avoid Coal for AI Power

Leaders of the Make America Healthy Again movement sent a joint letter to Donald Trump warning against using the power demands of AI data centers to justify increasing coal combustion. Signers, including Zen Honeycutt and Charles Eisenstein, argued that coal pollution—specifically mercury, soot, and coal ash—creates significant public health risks for farmers and families.

The group urged the administration to implement health-first standards for AI infrastructure and proposed alternatives such as advanced geothermal, solar with energy storage, and increased efficiency. This petition follows an April 2025 executive order in which the president labeled coal as critical for meeting the energy needs of data centers.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Taylor Rogers defended the administration's energy policies, stating that the government is working to lower energy costs and roll back climate regulations. Rogers asserted that greenhouse gas emissions dropped during the president's first term while maintaining health and safety standards.