U.S. EPA Proposes Rules to Rescue Coal Power Plants

In late August, the U.S. EPA officially proposed the administration’s Affordable Clean Energy Rule which is in stark contrast to the Obama administration Clean Power Plan (CPP). If approved, the new rule would replace the CPP.

The Trump proposal is intended to spur coal mining by dialing back environmental emissions restrictions that have hamstrung coal’s competitiveness against more efficient natural gas. Interested parties have 60 days to provide comment according to the EPA fact sheet.

While the OMA and other organizations are still conducting review and analysis, the editorial board of Bloomberg News offered a blistering critique of the Trump proposal citing how competitive power markets are helping to lower carbon dioxide emissions more than any government mandate. The Bloomberg editorial said, “True, it doesn’t help that President Donald Trump is doing all he can to stave off coal’s inevitable decline. In addition to the EPA’s new, doubly misnamed “Affordable Clean Energy” proposal, the president’s Energy Department is pushing a separate strategy to force electricity-grid operators to buy power from coal plants that are at risk of closing — all in the name of national security.” 9/6/2018