Trump Administration Uses Emergency Power to Rescue Another Dying Fossil Fuel Plant
The Energy Department's order "will result in American households paying even higher electricity bills," warned one consumer advocate.
Consumers are set to foot the bill after the Trump administration intervened late last week to prevent the closure of the fossil fuel-powered Eddystone Generating Station, a Pennsylvania plant owned by Constellation Energy that was set to shut down its remaining units on Saturday.
The order from U.S. President Donald Trump's Energy Department marked the second time the administration has invoked emergency authority to rescue a dying fossil fuel plant. Last month, Energy Secretary Chris Wright stepped in to halt the closure of the J.H. Campbell power plant in West Olive, Michigan.
The authority cited in the orders is "typically reserved for emergencies such as extreme weather events and war," Bloombergobserved.
Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's Energy Program, warned in a statement following the Energy Department's latest order that "extending the life of the unit will force ratepayers to shell out money to cover expensive maintenance and overpay for expensive power that will result in American households paying even higher electricity bills, as Trump's emergency order requires consumers to pay 100% of all costs to get the plant up and running, including a guaranteed profit for Constellation."
"Trump's last-minute emergency order—issued literally on the last day these power plants were set to operate—causes significant, expensive complications," said Slocum. "Old units like Eddystone require both minor and major maintenance—maintenance that was deferred because of its planned retirement on May 31."
In December 2023, Constellation informed PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator, that it would be retiring Eddystone Units 3 and 4, which ran on either fracked gas or oil. Constellation said at the time that "continued operation" of the units was "expected to be uneconomic."
PJM Interconnection signed off on Constellation's decision to retire the units in a letter dated February 27, 2024. But in the wake of the Energy Department's emergency order on Friday, PJM praised the Trump administration's intervention as "prudent."
Public Citizen slammed PJM's statement as a "craven, politically motivated about-face."
The order rescuing Eddystone Generating Station came days after the Trump Energy Department moved to save the coal-fired J.H. Campbell Generating Plant, stunning Michigan officials.
“It came as a surprise to everybody, and it was baffling why they chose this plant," Dan Scripps, chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission, told The Washington Post. "Nobody asked for this order. The power grid operator did not. The utility that owns the plant did not. The state regulator did not."
Citing state officials, the Post noted that "the move will collectively increase electric bills forratepayers in the Midwest by tens of millions of dollars." The J.H. Campbell plant is "the largest source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in West Michigan," according to the Sierra Club.
Trump laid the groundwork to save the fossil fuel plants earlier this month with an executive order instructing the Energy Department "to develop a process for using emergency powers to prevent unprofitable coal plants from shutting down in order to avert power outages."
Bryan Smigielski, organizer of the Sierra Club's Michigan campaign, called the administration's J.H. Campbell plant rescue a "blatant act of federal overreach" that "is being imposed against the wishes of Michigan consumers, businesses, regulators, and elected leaders."
"Don't be fooled: There is no 'energy emergency' here—just a payday for the coal industry that leaves us with higher bills and dirtier air," Smigielski added.
