Many Americans have experienced power outages this summer. These outages are dangerous and can cost billions in economic losses. Unfortunately, our future could be filled with even more power outages if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is successful in its bid to eliminate America’s coal-fueled power plants.
To date, the EPA has issued five rules that will force coal plants to close prematurely even though they play an essential role in providing dependable electricity to people in 40 states. The EPA’s actions are especially concerning because they will eliminate a major source of electricity at a time when demand for electricity is rapidly growing.
While scientists and policymakers debate the ramifications of new technologies like artificial intelligence, one area where there is agreement is that this technology requires massive amounts of electricity. As a growing number of industries continue to adopt AI, electricity demand will continue to grow alongside it. The data centers that help fuel AI are expected to use 8 percent of our nation’s electricity within the next six years. In 2022, these centers required just 3 percent of America’s electricity.
Artificial intelligence is critical to remaining competitive in the global economy. One recent survey found that China is already the world leader in adopting the generative AI technologies used to create new content. American companies will also require AI and the massive amounts of electricity to use it.
Despite these realities, the current administration is seeking to replace the fossil fuels responsible for nearly 60 percent of our nation’s electricity. Thanks in large part to EPA regulations and other bad policies, more than 130 coal plants in 31 states are expected to retire prematurely within the next five years, and there is no realistic option for quickly replacing them.
The number of solar panels and wind farms may be growing but not at a rate that would allow them to seamlessly replace the power generated by fossil fuels. For the sake of argument, even if such a rapid expansion of renewables was possible, it would require significant new investments in infrastructure such as power lines that often require nearly two decades to complete. Importantly, these sources also remain weather dependent thus tying our electricity supply to whether the sun is shining or wind is blowing on a particular day.
Fortunately, a pair of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions may provide an indication that EPA’s anti-electricity actions may not stand up in court. In one case, the Court stopped EPA from implementing a rule that would have forced the premature closure of a large number of coal plants. In another decision, the Court overturned the Chevron legal doctrine which the EPA and other agencies had been using as cover to create policies that far exceed the authority given to them by Congress.
Americans cannot afford EPA policies that leave the country with inadequate power supplies incapable of meeting our exploding electricity demand. These rules need to be struck down by the courts, rejected by Congress, or withdrawn by a new President. In addition, dependable power sources like coal should not be shuttered until equally dependable replacements are constructed and connected to the electricity grid. Failing to do this will heighten the risk for more power outages and more American families and cities being left in the dark.
Michelle Bloodworth is President and Chief Executive Officer of America’s Power, whose mission is to advocate at the federal and state level on behalf of coal-fueled electricity and the coal fleet.
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