Nine state attorneys general are blasting a DOE report they say exaggerates blackout risks to justify keeping coal and gas plants running past retirement. (Canary Media)
The report projects a hundredfold jump in grid blackout risk, but the AGs argue it ignores the surge of solar, wind, and batteries in the pipeline and assumes regulators will sit on their hands.
The stakes are high: DOE has already used the analysis to keep Michigan’s J.H. Campbell coal plant and Pennsylvania’s Eddystone unit online. Analysts warn that nationwide orders to prevent fossil-fuel plants from closing on schedule in the coming years could saddle consumers with $3–6B annually by 2028.