WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration says coal is back and nuclear energy is cool. An unusual coalition of business and environmental groups says that should not be at the expense of natural gas and wind and solar power.
Dow Chemical, Koch Industries and U.S. Steel Corp. are standing with environmentalists in opposing an Energy Department plan that would reward nuclear and coal-fired power plants for adding reliability to the nation’s power grid. The groups are pressuring the administration to shift course.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry says the plan is needed to help prevent widespread outages such as those caused by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. The plan also would slow a tide of coal and nuclear plant retirements as the traditional power sources lose market share to natural gas and renewable energy.