Republican Lawmakers Push Legislation to Preserve Coal Plants Amid Renewable Energy Growth and Federal Pollution Crackdown.

Republican lawmakers in almost a dozen states are proposing legislation to preserve coal plants that are facing closure due to a boom in renewable energy and a federal crackdown on power plant pollution. The bills, which take various forms, generally give state regulators more power to intervene in coal plant retirements, require utilities to cover costs or find replacement sources. One Utah bill would allow the state to purchase plants using taxpayer dollars. These measures come amid warnings from the North American Electric Reliability Corp that many areas may face a risk of rolling blackouts due to major wind and solar projects not being built fast enough to replace retiring coal plants. Critics argue that coal plants are now more expensive to run than renewable projects. Proposed rules from EPA would require coal plants to retire by 2040 or capture 90 percent of their planet-warming emissions by 2030, adding to their operating cost.