Large numbers of coal plants in the United States have been closing for quite some time now due to the declining economics of coal-fired power. It doesn’t make financial sense for many coal plants stay open due to competition from more affordable clean resources—such as wind and solar—as well as from other fossil fuel power plants, such as those fired by methane gas.
But what if I told you that some coal plants are able to continue operating—and continue polluting—with little to no regard for how much money they’re losing? And further, what if I told you that these coal plants have been operating since the 1950s, and their ability to stay open is being aided by hundreds of millions of dollars in ratepayer-funded subsidies? That would be outrageous, wouldn’t it?
But that’s exactly what’s happening right now. The Ohio Valley Electric Corporation (OVEC)…
Read the full article originally published at blog.ucsusa.org.