Novak calls for closure of expensive coal plants, condemns deregulation push
On Sept. 11, a ruling was handed down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that effectively allows for the closure of a coal plant in Michigan that had previously been forced to stay open by a federal order. The case was brought to the Court of Appeals after the order was challenged by the Michigan attorney general's office. The full ruling can be found here.
Two coal plants in Indiana are currently being forced to stay open under similar federal orders.
On Sept. 14, the Environmental Protection Agency announced they would be rolling back regulations that required coal and gas power plants to capture 90% of climate-altering pollution by 2032. These regulations were projected to save thousands of lives in the coming years and save Americans $120 billion in health-related costs through 2047.
State Rep. Randy Novak (D-Michigan City) issued the following statement:
"I would strongly encourage the Indiana attorney general to challenge the federal order keeping the costly and inefficient coal plants in Indiana open. Just last month, NIPSCO filed a request with regulators to collect $38 million from ratepayers in return for complying with the federal order that forced them to keep the Schahfer plant open. A recent estimate showed that NIPSCO customers may be paying up to $174,000 a day to offset the cost associated with the plant. This isn't about politics, it's about what is best for the people digging through their wallets every month to pay their power bill.
"These new deregulation pushes are ludicrous. Instead of holding utility companies' feet to the fire, the Trump and Braun administrations are bailing them out and allowing them to cut costs by endangering the environment and our public health. Now is the time to expect more from companies like NIPSCO, not less.
"If we were trying to cut the price of toys, we wouldn't let kids play with scissors just because they are cheaper to make. Jeopardizing people's health and safety while imposing losses on utility companies that are passed on to Hoosiers is a ridiculous way to try and lower costs for consumers."