Trump Administration orders last coal power plant in WA to remain open

The Department of Energy announced Wednesday it has issued an emergency order directing the continued operation of the last coal power plant in the state, delaying longtime plans to shutter its current operations.

The announcement could disrupt a long-agreed upon plan between the state of Washington, TransAlta and environmental groups to begin to transition the plant from coal-powered to natural gas at the end of the year.

According to the Department of Energy, the emergency order will remain in effect until March 16.

Originally built in 1968, the plant was slated to cease operations by the end of the month under an agreed upon multiphased plan the Legislature passed in 2011. The agreement called for the plant’s first boiler to go offline by the end of 2020, with the other to be turned off by the end of 2025.

Earlier this month TransAlta, which owns the plant, announced it had reached an agreement with Puget Sound Energy to convert the facility from coal to natural gas-fired generation. Once work was completed, the facility would have had a planned contracted capacity of 700 MW.

The conversion was expected to reduce emissions at the facility by 50%, and the date of operation was projected to be completed in late 2028.

In the announcement Wednesday, the Department of Energy said the current supply of power from the facility was “essential for grid stability in the Northwest.”

The agency cited an assessment from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, which found that “extreme winter conditions extending over a wide area could result in electricity supply shortfalls.” According to the assessment, peak energy demand has increased by 2.5% since last winter.

“The last administration’s energy subtraction policies had the United States on track to experience significantly more blackouts in the coming years – thankfully, President Trump won’t let that happen,” Energy Secretary Wright said in a statement. “The Trump administration will continue taking action to keep America’s coal plants running so we can stop the price spikes and ensure we don’t lose critical generation sources. Americans deserve access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy to heat their homes all the time, regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.”

Following the announcement, TransAlta said in a statement it was “evaluating the order.”

“Further information regarding the Order will be provided as it becomes available in due course,” the company wrote.

The move has angered state officials and environmental groups, and could prompt legal challenges.

In a joint statement Wednesday, Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown and Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller said that “under the guise of ‘emergency powers,’ U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright is attempting to force Washington state’s dirtiest power plant to continue burning coal.”

“Let’s be clear: there’s no emergency here,” the statement reads.

The statement adds that the plant is days away from completing its shutdown.

“The workers have moved on,” the statement reads. “There’s no coal left to burn.”

According to Washington Conservation Action, an environmental nonprofit organization based in Seattle, the facility’s remaining coal unit is the largest single-source emitter of greenhouse gases and other air pollution in the state. According to the Department of Ecology, the facility also contaminated soil, groundwater and sediment.

“Let us be clear: there is no ‘energy emergency’ in the Pacific Northwest that would justify forcing the continued operation of an old and dirty coal plant that endangers public health, worsens climate pollution, and has long been slated for retirement,” Sierra Club Washington State Director Ben Avery said in a statement. “All the evidence shows that when Centralia shuts down, customers’ costs will decrease and air quality will improve. Instead of lowering bills or protecting families from harmful pollution, the Trump administration is abusing emergency powers to prop up fossil fuels at any cost.”

The move follows similar actions Wright has taken in Michigan to stop the closure of a large coal-powered plant just outside of Grand Rapids. Days before the J.H. Campbell plant was slated to close on May 31, Wright issued an emergency order, again citing the need for “grid reliability.”

Since the initial order, Wright has subsequently issued two additional emergency orders to keep the plant in operation. The plant is now slated to remain open through at least mid-February.

In September, the Department of Energy announced it would invest more than $600 million in projects that “expand and reinvigorate America’s coal industry.”