Gov. Gianforte, Korean Energy Partners Convene in Billings

Discuss Montana's role as a reliable supplier of clean coal

Governor's Office

BILLINGS, Mont. - Governor Greg Gianforte today continued his 56 County Tour in Yellowstone County, convening energy leaders in Billings to highlight Montana's role in unleashing coal production for sale in international markets.

"Montana is proud to be an energy leader, holding the largest recoverable coal reserves in the United States and producing reliable baseload power to supply communities here at home and abroad," Gov. Gianforte said. "Through our strong relationship with Korea, we see great opportunity to continue expanding trade and strengthening connections with Korean utilities to meet rising demand."

Gov. Gianforte talking with representatives of Korea's major energy companies during a meeting in Billings

During a discussion held with Korea's major energy companies the governor highlighted Montana's abundant energy resources, the importance of energy independence, the role of coal in maintaining a reliable electric grid, and the state's commitment to serving as a long-term, reliable supplier of clean coal.

Montana holds the largest recoverable coal reserves in the United States, about 30 percent of the nation's total, and produces approximately 26 million metric tons of coal each year. Montana exports roughly half of its annual coal production, much of it to partners in Asia.

Last year, Gov. Gianforte led a strategic trade mission to Japan and South Korea to strengthen connections between Montana producers and Asian utilities while expanding opportunities to ship high-quality coal to meet energy demands. Korea and Japan are consistently in Montana's top five trading partners. In 2024, Korea was the second largest trading partner, purchasing over $335 million in industrial machinery, coal, beef, and wheat.

Underscoring the importance of access to rail infrastructure and ocean ports to ensure a reliable supply to international markets, Gov. Gianforte discussed his priority to secure a northern coal port to improve Montana's ability to ship to international markets.

"What Montana really needs is expanded port capacity on the West Coast. We've been in dialogue with industry partners and the Trump administration on the importance of exporting coal from the western United States. We have buyers in the Pacific Rim that want our coal but right now we have to ship it through Canada, which is working, but we need more capacity and we're having discussions about how we make that happen," the governor added.

Supporting an all-of-the-above approach to energy while maintaining coal production for reliable baseload power is a top priority for Gov. Gianforte. Since taking office, the governor has been a strong advocate for unleashing Montana's coal production.

In December, the governor joined President Donald J. Trump in supporting a joint resolution sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Rep. Troy Downing, R-Mont., overturning a Biden-era Bureau of Land Management amendment to the Miles City Resource Management Plan. The rule would have removed more than 338 million tons of federal coal in Montana from future leasing consideration and isolated all of the state's trust land coal reserves, threatening more than $4 billion in future revenue for state trust beneficiaries, including Montana's K-12 public schools.

Last April, Gov. Gianforte joined President Trump at the White House to celebrate executive orders aimed at unleashing American energy production and supporting Montana's coal industry.

The governor's 56 County Tour continues today in Big Horn and Rosebud counties.

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