What Happened
According to Politico and E&E News, the Energy Department is awarding millions in grants to a company partially led by Alex Phillips, a far-right activist, MAGA organizer, and telecom executive, to build a new coal-fired power plant in West Virginia.
Phillips is more recognizable to people who follow QAnon circles than people who follow energy policy. He has no meaningful track record in power generation, coal production, or utility engineering. What he does have is proximity to MAGA networks and apparent access to federal funding that was supposed to go toward legitimate energy projects.
The project is being marketed as part of Trump's "coal renaissance" agenda. Insiders told Politico, "This is not normal" — which, to be fair, is an unusually honest assessment of the current state of federal energy grant-making.
Why This Matters
Energy policy matters. The decision to build, fund, or retire power plants affects electricity prices, environmental regulations, and infrastructure across the country. When you hand that responsibility to someone selected not for their expertise but for their social media presence and conspiracy theory affiliations, you're not making policy — you're making reality TV.
This is not a partisan talking point. This is the basic incompetence of giving millions in federal funds to someone because they showed up to the right rallies and said the right things on the internet.
The Coal Part, Explained
Coal plants cost billions to build and operate. They have complex engineering, regulatory requirements, and operational challenges that require actual expertise. The United States has not built a new coal plant in over a decade — not because of partisan spite, but because renewables and natural gas are cheaper and easier to operate.
Now, instead of letting market forces decide, the Trump administration is manually injecting federal funding into a coal project led by someone who went viral for his conspiracy theories, not his energy credentials.
The Real Stupid Shit
The real stupid shit is that this is even possible. Congress appropriated money for energy investments. The administration can redirect those funds to pet projects led by people with no qualifications, as long as those people have the right friends. Politico noted that Phillips' company is described as being "partially led" by him — a convenient vagueness that suggests even the administration isn't entirely comfortable saying he's actually in charge of a major energy infrastructure project.
Whether this coal plant ever gets built, the message is clear: federal money is now a loyalty reward, not a policy mechanism.
Sources
E&E News: Trump's coal vision lifts MAGA organizer with scant energy track record
Politico: 'This is not normal': Trump leans on MAGA organizer to revive coal
Alternet: QAnon conspiracy theorist leading Trump obsession is 'not normal': insiders