Trump's forced coal plant extensions thrown out by judge

The use of coal to generate electricity in the US has been decreasing for two decades, and the first Trump administration was unable to reverse the trend. The second administration, however, sought to boost coal usage through more direct interventions, such as extending the operation of coal plants slated for closure, even if there was no immediate need for them.

The administration's reasoning for these orders stemmed from a statute enabling the Department of Energy (DOE) to declare emergencies during wartime or when there's a sudden surge in demand for or shortage of electric energy. Numerous parties, including states with coal plants set to close, contested this declaration. On Friday, a judge ruled that the declaration was invalid under the statute.

This ruling pertains to the J.H. Campbell Generating Plant in Michigan, which was scheduled to close last year but remained operational due to five emergency declarations by the DOE, each limited to 90 days under the Federal Power Act. The decision, issued by a unanimous three-judge panel from the DC Circuit's Court of Appeals, applies to all coal plant closures blocked by the DOE.