July 2, 2025 - An industry trade association is calling on President Donald Trump to enact tariffs on imported anthracite coal, a spokesperson announced Wednesday.

“The anthracite industry requests the imposition of a minimum tariff of 100% on anthracite coal imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion of 1962,” the Pennsylvania Anthracite Council said in a memorandum to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard W. Lutnick. “These tariffs ensure the sustainability of the domestic anthracite industry, which is a vital and essential supplier of carbon to the U.S. Steel industry.”

J. Gregory Driscoll, Blaschak Anthracite chairman, unveiled the initiative Wednesday on behalf of the council.

In addition to Blaschak, members of the council include Reading Anthracite, Pottsville;  Lehigh Anthracite, Coaldale, and Keystone Coal Company, Girardville.

The anthracite industry, concentrated in northeastern Pennsylvania, produces about 2.5 million tons a year, according to the council.

The call for tariffs on imported anthracite comes as the president’s 90-day delay on implementing proposed tariffs expires on July 9.

Trump has not proposed a tariff on imports of anthracite coal, which come primarily from Russia, Peru and South Africa.

He has, however, issued Executive Order 14272, which protects raw materials essential to national security and defense.

“We believe anthracite meets the criteria of a processed critical material under the president’s executive order,” Driscoll said.

Pennsylvania anthracite, the highest-grade coal in the world, is an ultra-pure carbon source essential to national security, steelmaking and environmental remediation, the council says.

Nearly 75% of U.S. anthracite is used in steelmaking, and is vital in producing military-grade steel and high-performance aerospace materials. Demand for anthracite in the steel industry is expected to rise by 2027.

Russian and Peruvian imports, Dirscoll said, have undercut the domestic market.

Foreign anthracite accounted for 31% of the domestic market in 2021.

By 2022, Russian imports had captured more than 40% of the market for anthracite in the U.S. steel industry.

“The Pennsylvania anthracite industry survived the Russian assault only after the president halted Russian imports after the invasion of Ukraine,” Driscoll said.

Peruvian imports continue to be of concern.

In the first quarter of 2025, Peru exported 66,000 tons of anthracite to the U.S. — about 35 to 40% of the steel industry market.

“This clearly demonstrates how vulnerable the domestic anthracite industry is to dumping and predatory practices of foreign nations,” the council said in its memorandum to Secretary Lutnick.

Anthracite from Peru sells for about $95 per metric ton, Driscoll said, compared with $250 a metric ton for the domestic industry.

The difference, the council claims, is because U.S. mining companies pay higher wages, must comply with federal and state safety policies and are subject to environmental laws. Foreign companies use exploited labor and face few environmental and safety regulations.

Copies of the memorandum have been sent to U.S. Senators David McCormick and John Fetterman and Congressman Dan Meuser with requests for support.

“These tariffs are necessary to ensure the sustainability and viability of the Pennsylvania Anthracite industry,” the memorandum states. “Otherwise, it would not be able to continue its essential function of being a reliable, consistent domestic supplier to the U.S. steel industry.”