States Request Decision on Power Plant Bailout Plan

In September, Kentucky utility regulators joined five other states in sending letters to federal authorities addressing the Trump administration’s plan to bail out failing coal and nuclear power plants. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Energy announced its intention to support the plants, claiming that doing so would protect national security.

The Ohio legislature passed a similar state bill in July 2019 that subsidizes coal- and nuclear-powered plants and cuts renewable energy programs. However, an investigation released in October by the Energy and Policy Institute, an organization dedicated to exposing misinformation on renewable energy, revealed that Ohio utility FirstEnergy Corp. provided draft testimony to local school and public officials to read in support of the bill.

The federal government has not acted on the draft plan since summer 2018. Coal lobbyists encouraged state regulators to send letters to federal officials requesting that regulators decide whether or not to subsidize the coal and nuclear facilities. — By Rachael Kelley