Federal funding, pollution exemptions and operating orders supported 90 of the 184 operating, grid-connected U.S. coal plants, according to an Oct. 28 analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
EDF counted $950 million in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) commitments to 24 plants, exemptions for 154 generating units at 70 plants, and DOE orders that kept six plants operating past planned retirement dates. The 90-plant total is not the sum of those three tallies because a facility could receive multiple forms of support.
EDF estimated that the operating orders had cost ratepayers $593 million by Oct. 28, 2026, and could cause up to $860 million in health damages. In its account, coal plants receive direct support while taxpayers and electricity customers bear financial costs.
DOE says its coal funding is intended to extend plant life, strengthen grid reliability and keep electricity affordable. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said federal efforts to prolong plant operations were among several factors behind a 10% rise in U.S. coal demand in 2025.
President Donald Trump's April 8, 2025, proclamation delayed compliance with the 2024 amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for listed facilities from July 8, 2027, to July 8, 2029, citing grid reliability and national security. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) later repealed specified provisions of those amendments, with the rule taking effect April 27, 2026. EDF's 90-plant tally excludes the EPA rollbacks.
On Sept. 11, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated the DOE order requiring Consumers Energy's J.H. Campbell plant in Michigan to remain available. The court said the conditions DOE cited did not require an immediate federal response under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act. It described that emergency authority as narrow and a last resort; the ruling applied to the Campbell order and did not resolve every mandate in EDF's tally.
