Using Taxpayer Money, Trump Bails Out Coal Power Plants in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, & North Carolina - CleanTechnica

The article from CleanTechnica criticizes the Trump administration for using taxpayer money to bail out aging and inefficient coal power plants in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Originally intended to support energy resiliency, efficiency, and greenhouse gas reductions in rural communities, these funds have instead been redirected to prop up coal plants such as Ohio’s Cardinal and OVEC Kyger Creek plants, as well as Kentucky’s Ghent Generating Station. This move is framed as part of a broader pattern of rollbacks on environmental protections, including revoking the EPA’s greenhouse gas endangerment finding and weakening mercury and air toxics standards, which threatens public health and the environment. The article highlights the financial burden these bailouts place on taxpayers and electric customers, noting that past coal plant subsidies in Ohio, like those under House Bill 6, cost residents hundreds of millions before repeal. Critics argue that these bailouts primarily benefit coal plant owners rather than the public, perpetuating pollution and delaying the transition to