What happened
The US Energy Department has ordered coal plants in Indiana to remain open despite a federal appeals court ruling that it overstepped its emergency powers. Energy Secretary Chris Wright ordered units at the R.M. Schahfer and F.B. Culley coal plants to stay available until December 18. This decision came after the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated Wright's first emergency order for the J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan.
The court ruled that states are responsible for planning and averting reliability risks, and that the Energy Department's emergency orders were not justified. However, the Energy Department has continued to issue orders to keep coal plants open, citing concerns about energy reliability and costs.
The orders have been met with criticism from some, including Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who has challenged the orders in court. On the other hand, Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has praised the orders, saying they will help protect Hoosiers from higher energy costs and keep the power on.
The Energy Department has argued that the coal plants are necessary to ensure energy reliability, particularly during periods of high demand and low output from intermittent sources like wind and solar. The department has also claimed that the emergency orders have prevented blackouts and saved hundreds of lives during peak capacity events.
Others, such as Jason Hayes from the Heritage Foundation, have noted that the ruling limits the Energy Department's ability to write future orders but does not remove the risk of reliability problems in the Midwest grid. Hayes argued that state legislatures and Congress should require firm capacity to replace firm capacity before the next polar vortex.
