Contenders and environmental organizations contest Trump's strategy to sustain polluting power plants
The Department of Energy (DOE) has found itself at the centre of a storm of controversy, with environmental groups alleging that the department has misrepresented reports in its orders to keep two aging fossil-fueled power plants, J.H. Campbell in Michigan and Eddystone in Pennsylvania, open.
Initially scheduled to close in May as part of an agreement between utility Consumers Energy and state regulators, the plan for J.H. Campbell's closure has been in the works since 2021. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which manages grid reliability across Michigan and 14 other states, had approved this plan.
However, the DOE's move to keep these plants open was not spurred by requests from state regulators or regional grid operators. Instead, the department is using a power originally designed to protect the grid against unanticipated emergencies, including during wartime, but without proving that such an emergency is underway.
The DOE's stay-open order for Eddystone is based on a report from PJM that states the grid operator might need to ask utility customers to use less power if it faces extreme conditions this summer. For J.H. Campbell, the DOE cited reports from the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC).
State utility regulators and environmental groups have filed rehearing requests with the DOE, demanding that it reconsider these emergency orders. Some environmental organizations have even pledged to take their case to federal court if necessary.
The DOE's decision to keep these plants open could disrupt established methods for managing plant closures and fairly allocating costs. Critics argue that clean energy, not fossil fuels, are the true solution to the country's grid challenges.
The DOE has the power to force these plants to stay open even if the utilities, state regulators, and grid operators managing them say no such emergency exists. This is a power the DOE has used sparingly over the decades, only in response to requests from utilities or grid operators during imminent threats.
The DOE published a report this week in response to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump, outlining the case for Energy Secretary Chris Wright to demand more fossil-fueled plants remain open. Chris Wright, a former gas industry executive, has denied the existence of a climate change crisis.
However, there are no search results indicating any organization that last week called for a statement supporting the extension of operating licenses for coal power plants beyond their slated shutdown dates benefiting Energy Minister Chris Wright.
The competitive energy markets in the United States are successful in keeping the lights on and maintaining reliability the vast majority of the time. Critics argue that the DOE's intervention interferes with these markets.
The DOE claimed that the move was necessary to prevent the power grid from collapsing. However, this claim has been met with scepticism from environmental groups and state utility regulators. The DOE's use of its Section 202(c) power to issue emergency stay-open orders to any power plant it decides to could potentially disrupt the balance of the energy market and the transition towards cleaner, more sustainable energy sources.
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