US EditionUS EPA Rejects Colorado Haze Plan to Retire Coal Plants Early
EPA says Colorado unlawfully sought to close coal plants risking grid reliability and requires a revised plan or federal takeover within two years.
- On Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency disapproved Colorado's 2022 Regional Haze SIP after acting on its Jan. 9 deadline and returned it for revision.
- Because the state included forced retirements in its SIP, Colorado's haze plan sought to shut multiple coal plants, but EPA said closures without utility consent risked a 'taking' and cited DOE emergency orders and grid reliability concerns.
- Specific examples include Nixon Unit 1 and Craig Unit 1, where Colorado Springs Utilities and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association face costly repairs and $80,000,000 annual running costs in 2026.
- As a result, Colorado must now submit a revised plan or face an EPA federal implementation plan finalized within two years, affecting timelines to close six remaining coal-fired plants and meet the 80% reduction by 2030.
- Environmental groups condemned the EPA move Friday as undermining air-quality and park protections, while EPA Region 8 argued Colorado can meet regional haze 'glide path' requirements without forced coal plant closures amid the Trump administration's backing of coal operations.
17 Articles
17 Articles
EPA Rejects Colorado’s Regional Haze Plan, Including Coal Plant Retirement Dates - CleanTechnica
Trump administration continues to undermine Colorado’s efforts to turn the page on coal DENVER — 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 ... [continued] The post EPA Rejects Colorado’s Regional Haze Plan, Includin…
EPA Pulls Plug On Colorado’s Haze Plan, Throwing Lifeline To Coal Plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formally rejected Colorado’s 2022 Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) on Friday, a move that effectively blocks the state from enforcing early retirement deadlines for several coal-fired power plants. The decision marks a significant clash between state-level environmental goals and the federal government’s renewed focus on “energy dominance” under […] EPA Pulls Plug On Colorado’s Haze Pla…
Denver Post
EPA opposes Colorado plan to close coal-fired power plants
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday determined Colorado cannot order the closure of coal-fired power plants under the Clean Air Act, and therefore, the agency will deny the state’s plan to reduce the haze that clouds views at Rocky Mountain National Park and other federal lands.
EPA rejects Colorado's haze plan over coal plant shutdowns
The Environmental Protection Agency has rejected Colorado’s state haze control plan, arguing that the required shutdown of several coal plants would harm grid reliability. The EPA said on Friday that it would disapprove Colorado’s revised 2022 Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) after the state’s attempt to shut down several coal plants without consent, which the agency said does not comply with the Clean Air Act and is not necessary t…
Colorado's coal plant closures and clean air policies go too far, Trump's EPA says while rejecting plans
The Trump administration Friday further eroded Colorado's longstanding mandates to close coal-fired power plants by 2031, saying the state's required regional haze-fighting plan goes too far and violates the Clean Air Act.
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