EPA Rejects Colorado’s Regional Haze Plan, Including Coal Plant Retirement Dates

The Trump Administration’s EPA today disapproved Colorado’s Regional Haze State Implementation Plan, again illegally undermining the state’s efforts to rein in pollution from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources. The state’s plan includes retirement deadlines for coal plants that several utilities voluntarily proposed and asked the state to include in its plan. The plan was broadly supported by the state, utilities, industry, and environmental groups. Yet the Trump administration has once again tried to override decisions made by local utilities.

Under the Clean Air Act and federal Regional Haze Rule, states must reduce air pollution and improve air quality in national parks and wilderness areas. Regional haze plans also provide crucial health benefits for communities. In its disapproval of Colorado’s plan, the EPA claims the voluntary coal plant retirements included in the state’s plan would harm grid reliability, but this is incorrect because the state and the utilities have long planned to retire the coal plants and to replace their generation with cheaper and cleaner resources. EPA initially proposed a partial disapproval of Colorado’s haze plan, but the final rule released today rejects the entire plan. Colorado’s plan fully complies with the Clean Air Act. EPA’s overreach in disapproving the plan is unwarranted and will harm Coloradans and result in dirtier air in Rocky Mountain National Park and other treasured public lands.

Today’s news follows a recent illegal 202(c) order from the Department of Energy to prevent the planned retirement of Unit 1 at Craig Station. The order threatens to raise ratepayers’ utility bills and worsen air quality for surrounding communities. According to an analysis by Grid Strategies, if the plant is dispatched at its average output over the last few years, costs could rise to $20 million over 90 days, equating to approximately $85 million per year, or even upwards of $150 million per year if the plant is required to operate in must-run fashion.

“This is yet another unwarranted attempt by the Trump administration to prevent the long-planned retirements of Colorado’s expensive, dirty, and unreliable coal plants,” said Michael Hiatt, deputy managing attorney at Earthjustice. “The Trump administration’s ideological attacks on Colorado’s energy policies are illegal and will increase costs for customers, as clean energy in Colorado is far cheaper than coal.”

“EPA’s decision to disapprove Colorado’s plan is dangerous for Colorado’s national parks and for everyone who values clean, healthy air,” said Tracy Coppola, Colorado senior program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. “Millions of people visit our parks each year to experience the once-in-a-lifetime views, but pollution from coal plants continues to threaten the experience at Rocky Mountain, Great Sand Dunes and Black Canyon. Coloradans deserve a plan that protects the places we love for future generations. Dirty air is not the legacy we want to leave behind.”

“Trump’s attempts to prevent utilities from retiring uneconomic coal plants will increase electricity prices and deadly air pollution,” said Margaret Kran-Annexstein, director of the Colorado Chapter of the Sierra Club. “The EPA has abandoned its environmental mission in favor of propping up the dying coal industry. Utilities voluntarily decided to retire aging coal plants in Colorado because it would save customers money and reduce pollution, and EPA has no business overriding these local and state decisions.”