Many MindedNearly half of US coal plants now get federal help, EDF finds
The Environmental Defense Fund published an analysis on 28 October 2026 of how the Trump administration is backing coal. Of 184 operating, grid-connected US coal plants, EDF finds 90 are supported in some way, nearly half the fleet.
The support takes several forms. Seventy plants received exemptions from Biden-era Clean Air Act limits on toxic pollution; owners were invited last spring to request them by emailing a dedicated EPA inbox. The main rule would have required a 70% cut in mercury and a two-thirds cut in nickel, arsenic, lead and other toxic metals. Separately, 24 plants are slated for a combined $950 million from the Department of Energy: $525 million announced in September 2025 for up to 11 plants, and $425 million announced in June for 13 more. Since mid-2025 DOE has also used emergency authority to force six plants to keep running. A federal court ruled in September that the first such order, for a Michigan plant in May 2025, was unlawful, yet the orders have continued.
This matters because coal's share of US generating capacity fell from nearly half in 2011 to 15% in 2024, pushed out by cheap gas, solar, wind and batteries. Propping up plants that the market is retiring keeps costlier power on the system and keeps toxic emissions in the air. EDF estimates that keeping the six plants running through June 2026 cost utility customers up to $593 million and caused up to $860 million in health damages. Researchers have found almost all coal plants could be replaced by clean energy and batteries at a net saving to customers.
Caveats: the cost and health figures are EDF estimates and upper bounds. DOE claims its coal support will save about $50 billion by avoiding new generation, which researchers dispute. The EPA has since rescinded the Biden-era rule, though EDF says legal challenges could reverse that. Watch those challenges and further stay-open orders.
Source: Canary Media