US administration rejects order to protect coal-fired plants

• 6 years ago (2017-08-23)
• David Flin

Coal 274 North America 998

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The Trump Administration in the USA has rejected a coal industry request for an emergency order protecting coal-fired power plants, a decision contrary to what one coal executive said the President personally promised him.

The Energy Department said that it considered issuing the order sought by companies seeking relief for plants it claimed were overburdened by environmental regulations and market stresses. The department ruled it was unnecessary, and the White House supported this decision.

Shaylyn Hynes, Spokeswoman for the Energy Department, said the agency was sympathetic to the coal industry’s plight. She said: “We look at the facts of each issue and consider the authorities we have to address them, but with respect to this particular case at this particular time, the White House and the Department of Energy are in agreement that the evidence does not warrant the use of this emergency authority.”

The aid that had been sought involved invoking a section of the US Federal Power Act that allows the Energy Department to temporarily intervene when the nation’s electricity supply is threatened by an emergency, such as war or natural disaster. Among other measures, it temporarily exempts power plants from obeying environmental laws.

The request sought a two-year moratorium on closures of coal-fired power plants, claiming that the Power Act was “the only viable mechanism” to protect the reliability of the nation’s power supply.

Coal has become an increasingly unattractive fuel for US electricity companies, which have been retiring old boilers at a record pace. At least two dozen big coal-fired plants are scheduled to shut down in the near future as utilities transition to new turbines fuelled by natural gas.