politics
Here we go again: Retiring coal plant forced to stay open by Trump Admin
This time, a Colorado plant scheduled to shut down will be kept on standby.
TL;DR
- The US Secretary of Energy ordered Craig Station Unit 1 in Colorado to remain open, overriding its scheduled closure.
- The stated reason is an energy emergency and a shortage of generating capacity.
- Colorado's Public Utilities Commission had previously found the plant not required for reliability.
- The order requires the plant to be available but not necessarily operate, potentially conflicting with state environmental laws.
- The Federal Power Act allows such orders during declared emergencies, but the DOE's current rationale is questioned.
- Coal generation is more expensive and environmentally damaging than other sources.
- The Trump Administration has frequently used energy emergency declarations to support coal plants.
- These emergency declarations are being challenged in court by states and environmental groups for alleged misuse and indefinite renewals.