Rigging the System Against Clean Energy
A new order from President Trump’s energy regulators bails out coal plants and prevents investment in renewables.
That’s one way of putting it.
Photographer: Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images
Right before the holidays, Trump appointees on a federal commission you’ve probably never heard of gave a major gift to coal companies. They also threw a wrench into efforts at the state and local level to move the U.S. toward cleaner and cheaper sources of power.
Changing the way we generate electricity is one of the most important ways we can reduce our carbon pollution and combat climate change. Fortunately, in recent years, cleaner power sources like wind, solar and natural gas have outcompeted older, dirtier coal-fired power plants as the most cost-effective sources of electric power.