Sierra Club & Partners Challenge Trump Administration’s Illegal Efforts to Block the Retirement of Indiana Coal Plants - CleanTechnica

The Sierra Club, along with partners including the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), Earthjustice, Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, Just Transition Northwest Indiana, and the Hoosier Environmental Council, has filed a legal challenge against the Trump administration’s Department of Energy (DOE) “emergency” orders. These orders, issued in December 2020, forced the continued operation of two Indiana coal-fired power plants—the R.M. Schahfer plant and one unit at the F.B. Culley generating station—beyond their planned retirement dates. The coalition argues that these orders are illegal, override decisions made by power companies, grid operators, and state regulators, and impose unnecessary costs on Indiana residents and neighboring states by requiring repairs and continued operation of uneconomic, polluting coal plants. The coalition’s attorneys and leaders emphasize that the DOE’s actions lack legal justification and harm consumers by increasing electricity prices, which are already among the highest in Indiana. They contend that the federal government has no authority