Trump Administration Aided Half of US Coal Plants With Cash and Pollution Waivers
An Environmental Defense Fund analysis found 90 of 184 operating coal plants received federal subsidies or Clean Air Act exemptions under Trump.
Nearly half of the United States' operating coal plants have received some form of federal support under the Trump administration, according to a new analysis from the Environmental Defense Fund, raising fresh questions about the use of public funds to prop up a struggling energy sector.
The EDF examined all 184 coal plants currently connected to the national grid and determined that 90 of them benefited from administration actions that included direct financial assistance, exemptions from Clean Air Act requirements, or government mandates requiring plants to remain online beyond their planned retirement dates.
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The analysis put the total value of cash assistance at approximately $950 million in taxpayer dollars, distributed across facilities that have faced mounting pressure from cheaper natural gas and renewable energy alternatives as well as tightening environmental regulations.
Critics argue the combination of financial transfers and pollution waivers amounts to a double subsidy — shielding plant operators from both market forces and regulatory compliance costs simultaneously. The EDF's findings add to a broader debate over federal energy policy at a time when many utilities and grid operators have been accelerating the retirement of aging coal infrastructure.
The report does not suggest that all plants receiving support would have otherwise shut down immediately, but it frames the administration's actions as a deliberate intervention to extend coal's operational lifespan. Continue reading at Business | The Guardian.
