Trump Administration Backed Half of US Coal Plants With Cash and Exemptions
A new EDF analysis found 90 of 184 operating coal plants received federal cash, pollution exemptions, or mandatory operating extensions.
Nearly half of the United States' operating coal-fired power plants have received federal support from the Trump administration in the form of direct funding, Clean Air Act exemptions, or mandates requiring them to stay online beyond planned retirement dates, according to a new analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund.
The EDF examined all 184 coal plants currently connected to the national grid and determined that 90 of them benefited from at least one form of government assistance. The total taxpayer outlay identified in the analysis reached approximately $950 million, distributed alongside regulatory relief that critics characterize as "free passes to pollute."
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The findings underscore the administration's broader effort to sustain the domestic coal industry against mounting economic pressure from cheaper natural gas and renewable energy, as well as tightening environmental regulations that have accelerated plant closures in recent years. By combining direct financial transfers with exemptions from clean-air rules and grid-reliability mandates, federal policy effectively extended the operational lifespan of facilities that might otherwise have shut down.
The Environmental Defense Fund's methodology focused specifically on plants tied to the grid, offering a snapshot of an industry that has shed capacity significantly over the past decade yet retains political significance in several key states. The combination of cash and regulatory relief represents one of the more comprehensive federal interventions in the coal sector in recent memory, according to the group's findings.
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