The executive order directs procurement through long‑term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs): it directs the Secretary of War (the administration’s rebranded DoD), in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, to seek and approve long‑term PPAs or similar contracts with coal‑fired facilities to serve mission‑critical installations. The order cites earlier coal EOs (EO 14261 and EO 14262) as policy authority but expressly conditions implementation on applicable law and “the availability of appropriations,” leaving budget and statutory procurement authorities (and OMB review) intact.
The administration is using “Department of War” as an executive‑branch secondary title under a prior executive order, but the legal, statutory agency name remains the Department of Defense. Only Congress can change the Department’s legal name; the EO authorizing “Department of War” use is largely rebranding for communications/ceremonial contexts and directs a study/recommendation on a statutory name change.
The February 11, 2026 executive order itself does not appropriate or specify dollar amounts; it states implementation is “subject to the availability of appropriations.” No specific federal funding or new budget authority for coal purchases/investments is identified in the EO or its fact sheet.
The EO does not set uniform new environmental or emissions standards. It prioritizes PPAs that improve reliability and on‑site fuel security but says implementation must comply with applicable law; therefore plants receiving federal contracts remain subject to existing federal environmental statutes and agency regulations (EPA, DOE requirements) unless and until those laws/regulations are changed by subsequent action.
Shifting federal purchases toward coal would likely increase greenhouse‑gas emissions and could raise wholesale power costs in some markets while aiming to bolster grid “baseload” reliability; the EO claims reliability and national‑security benefits but conditions actions on law and appropriations. Independent analyses show coal power emits far more CO2 per MWh than gas or renewables and that procuring inflexible baseload capacity can affect dispatch and market prices depending on regional markets and fuel costs.
The EO directs the Department of War (DoD) — in coordination with the Department of Energy — to seek long‑term PPAs with U.S. coal generation to serve Department installations; the TVA is cited in the White House announcement as having renewed support for coal, and TVA decisions to keep or add coal units would affect regional supply, reliability, and the availability of coal‑sourced power for federal contracts in the Southeast.