A coalition of environmental and consumer groups is challenging the Energy Department’s emergency order to keep open a pair of Indiana coal plants.
The groups contend that DOE’s order will do little for reliability — as the government asserts — while driving up electricity costs and pollution. The two coal facilities, R.M. Schahfer and a turbine at F.B. Culley, were slated to close last year.
“We are challenging this sham ‘emergency order’ because we believe that hardworking families should not have to hand over their hard-earned money to coal executives at the order of Donald Trump,” said Tony Mendoza, a senior attorney at Sierra Club.
The request for a rehearing, filed with DOE, sets the stage for a larger legal battle over Trump’s efforts to revive the coal industry. DOE has issued emergency orders for five coal plants that were scheduled to close in full or in part in 2025, arguing the moves were needed to ensure reliable electricity service as power demand rapidly increases.
