Groups Challenge Trump Administration's Illegal Craig Coal Plant Extension - CleanTechnica

The article discusses a legal challenge by several public interest groups—including Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Earthjustice, GreenLatinos, Vote Solar, and Public Citizen—against the Trump administration’s Department of Energy (DOE) emergency order that extended the operation of Unit 1 at Colorado’s Craig Station coal plant. The unit was scheduled to retire on December 31, 2019, but the DOE’s December 30 order forced it to remain operational for 90 days, potentially longer, under regional grid authority direction. The groups argue that the order is illegal, unnecessary, and harmful, as it was not requested by the plant’s co-owners or state regulators, who support the retirement for economic and environmental reasons. They contend the order will increase utility bills, worsen air quality, and undermine years of careful state planning for a transition away from coal. The challengers emphasize that there is no actual energy emergency justifying the DOE’s action, which they describe as political interference favoring coal