Volts Trump's latest attempt to save coal
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Aug 13, 2025 Join Frank Rambo, founder of the Horizon Climate Initiative and a former senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, as he dives into the controversial practice of 'uneconomic dispatch.' He discusses how utilities can get away with running costly coal plants despite cheaper alternatives. The conversation also highlights the Trump administration's misleading 'reliability' claims to bolster coal. Rambo emphasizes the importance of tackling these issues at the state level for a cleaner environment and lower consumer costs.
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Coal Clogs Lines And Curtails Wind
- Uneconomic coal operation materially increases renewable curtailment; NRDC/Grid Strategies found ~25% of curtailed wind was blocked by uneconomic coal.
- That dynamic disincentivizes developers from building in affected grids.
Bring The Fight To State Regulators
- Target state-level PUC proceedings to stop uneconomic dispatch since no federal law is required.
- Winning at state PUCs saves money for ratepayers and cuts emissions immediately.
DOE Report Enables Emergency Orders
- The DOE's July 7 reliability report itself has no direct legal force but underlies emergency orders.
- DOE has used Federal Power Act authority to force specific plants to stay online temporarily.