The White House’s plan to bail out America’s coal country has been shot down — by the very energy regulators that President Donald Trump appointed last year.
In an order Monday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s sweeping proposal to subsidize struggling coal and nuclear plants in the name of keeping power grids dependable. Instead, the commission asked grid operators to suggest their own ideas to make the system more resilient.
“We appreciate the Secretary reinforcing the resilience of the bulk power system as an important issue that warrants further attention,” the agency said in the order. All five commissioners were appointed by Trump; three are Republicans.
The defeat is a setback for the president, who vowed on the campaign trail to revive the battered coal industry and put miners back to work. The Energy Department plan drew criticism from natural gas producers, grid operators and others who argued it would undermine competition in wholesale power markets. Consumers in more than a dozen states would have foot the bill, which could have totaled billions.
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Could it be? Did they actually learn?
ReplyDeletewhat is wrong with asking the operators how to make the system more efficient rather then just keep dumping money into it
ReplyDeleteCoal ? Really ? Is it even relevant anymore ?
ReplyDelete713-Coal supplies more power worldwide than any other single power source. It also still supplies about 40% of US power generation. It's also the cheapest power source worldwide.
ReplyDeleteProblem is, the natural gas revolution, which has led to the closure of coal fired power plants, are having their pipelines violently protested, since lunatic enviroNazis don't realize the positive impact that Nat Gas is having on our country lowering it's carbon emissions.