Government bailout of coal-fired and nuclear facilities will lead to courtroom door

摘要

An energy law professor and a long-time power sector analyst onrnMonday said they could not clearly foresee how the Trumprnadministration can justify preventing coal-fired and nuclear powerrnfacilities from retiring, but said that the use of either an emergencyrnpower shortage or a national defense justification to keep certainrnfacilities operational would both lead straight to the courtroom door.rnOn Friday, the Trump Administration pointed to a 41-page draftrnmemorandum that laid out in incomplete detail how the Department ofrnEnergy could “issue orders” under the Federal Power Act, or FPA, andrnthe Defense Production Act of 1950, or the DPA, to “temporarily delayrnretirements of fuel-secure electric generation.”rnPresident Donald Trump’s White House Press Secretary SarahrnSanders said in a statement Friday, “Unfortunately, impendingrnretirements of fuel-secure power facilities are leading to a rapidrndepletion of a critical part of our nation’s energy mix, and impactingrnthe resilience of our power grid. President Trump has directedrnSecretary of Energy Rick Perry to prepare immediate steps to stop thernloss of these resources, and looks forward to his recommendations.”