{"id":26559,"date":"2026-09-15T16:06:05","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T21:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?p=26559"},"modified":"2026-09-15T16:28:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T21:28:45","slug":"impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/","title":{"rendered":"The health harms of keeping fossil fuel plants\u00a0from\u00a0retiring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Co-authored by EDF analysts Rishab&nbsp;Jagetia&nbsp;and Grace Hauser<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig1-scaled.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"724\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig1-1024x724.png\" alt=\"US Map of plants that have received 202(c) orders from the Trump administration.\" class=\"wp-image-26560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig1-1024x724.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig1-300x212.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig1-768x543.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Figure 1 &#8211; Map of plants that have received 202(c) orders from the Trump administration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>The Trump administration has spent over&nbsp;500 days&nbsp;flouting environmental rules to prop up dying coal plants \u2014 and everyday Americans are paying for it with their health&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For over a year, the Trump administration has invoked <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/media\/court-hear-legal-challenge-trump-administration-mandates-coal-fired-power-plants-increase\">Section 202(c)<\/a> of the Federal Power Act, typically reserved for emergencies, to force units at six aging coal plants and one natural gas plant across the country to keep running after their long-planned retirement dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/media\/federal-court-rejects-trump-administration-mandates-extending-aging-expensive-coal-plants\">federal appellate court\u2019s decision<\/a> on Friday, September 11, that the initial order requiring a Michigan coal plant was unlawful &#8212; and that the Department of Energy\u2019s justifications for these orders do not meet legal requirements &#8212; may be the first step in ending these orders and allowing the plants to retire. But these plants have already added hundreds of millions of dollars to families\u2019 electric bills and emitted thousands of tons of harmful air and water pollution, affecting the health of people living nearby and damaging the environment. To understand the full scope of the damage, we compiled data across all the affected plants subject to wrongful 202(c) orders. The picture that emerges is striking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What is a 202(c) order?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In true instances of reliability crises, such as winter storms or grid-reliability risks, the Department of Energy (DOE) uses 202(c) orders to grant select power plants a few hours or days of extended operation. Section 202(c) is supposed to be a last resort \u2014 invoked only to address imminent, unexpected grid shortfalls, and limited to the minimum operation necessary. The Trump administration is illegally abusing this power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">There is no energy emergency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The seven plants that the Trump administration has ordered to continue running have been slated for retirement through years of careful planning by utilities, state regulators, and grid operators. The administration overrode all of it. None of the utilities asked DOE to extend their plants\u2019 lifespans; in fact, a few utilities are actively fighting the orders so that they do not pass costs onto ratepayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The data shows the extent of the administration\u2019s fabrication of a reliability crisis: many of these plants ran for only a fraction of the time that they were ordered to remain available (Figure 2). For example, as of the end of June, R. M. Schahfer unit 18 hadn\u2019t even produced power since the Trump administration mandated it to run. A plant that produces no power while operating under an emergency declaration isn&#8217;t evidence of a grid crisis. It&#8217;s evidence of a manufactured one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"591\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig2-1024x591.png\" alt=\"A graph showing how many days the plants extended by their first 202(c) order have actually operated.\" class=\"wp-image-26564\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig2-1024x591.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig2-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig2-768x444.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig2-1536x887.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig2-2048x1183.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Figure 2 &#8211; Operating days since first 202(c) order vs. non-operating days.&nbsp;Operating days as of June 30, 2026, sourced from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/campd.epa.gov\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EPA\u2019s Clean Air Markets Program Data (CAMPD)<\/a>.&nbsp;Data does not reflect the true duration of 202(c) orders that have issuance days extending into the future.&nbsp;Dates and duration of 202(c)&nbsp;order&nbsp;as of&nbsp;September 14, 2026, sourced from U.S. DOE 202(c) order annoucements for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ceser\/2025-doe-202c-orders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2025<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ceser\/2026-doe-202c-orders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2026<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Americans are paying with their health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These plants&#8217; operation during their 202(c) orders has led to the emission of thousands of tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), and hundreds of pounds of fine particulate matter. SO2 and NOx have well-documented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/health\/effects-of-air-pollution\">effects on respiratory health<\/a>, such as exacerbated asthma symptoms and increased vulnerability to respiratory infections. Particulate matter is especially harmful to human health as it can\u202fpenetrate deeper into the lungs and cause heart attacks, strokes, heart issues, lung disease, and cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The J. H. Campbell plant in Michigan has emitted the most NOx, SO2, and particulate matter by far\u2014directly related to its length of operation. By June 30, 2026, J. H. Campbell unit 1 alone generated well over 1,000 US tons of NOx and over 2,000 tons of SO2. During this period, the J. H. Campbell plant as a whole emitted almost 140 tons of particulate matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These emissions have dire consequences for local residents. Over 160,000 people live within three miles of these facilities, including more than 8,700 children under the age of five (Figure 3). The most densely populated site is around the <a href=\"https:\/\/echo.epa.gov\/detailed-facility-report?fid=110000817493\">Eddystone plant<\/a> in Pennsylvania where over 94,000 residents live, among them more than 5,000 young children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig3-scaled.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"464\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig3-1024x464.png\" alt=\"Graph showing number of people \" class=\"wp-image-26565\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig3-1024x464.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig3-300x136.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig3-768x348.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig3-1536x696.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig3-2048x928.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Figure&nbsp;3&nbsp;\u2013 Population living within a 3-mile radius of a facility. Data from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/echo.epa.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EPA\u2019s Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO)<\/a>, as of June 1, 2026. Age categories are exclusive&nbsp;of&nbsp;each other. \u201cAdults\u201d refers to persons ages 18 and&nbsp;older,&nbsp;\u201cminors\u201d refers to children ages 6 to 17, and \u201cyoung children\u201d refers to children under age 5.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Communities near these plants face elevated exposure to toxic pollution from units that their utilities, state regulators, and grid operators had already determined were no longer needed for grid reliability. Compared to if these plants had retired on their original retirement dates, these emissions have caused between 33 to 59 premature deaths, 46 emergency room visits for respiratory distress, 132 new cases of asthma, 7,548 missed school days, and 2,697 missed workdays together totaling between $530 to $901 million in 2023 USD (Figure 4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig4-scaled.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"479\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig4-1024x479.png\" alt=\"Graph showing emissions deaths tied to power plants kept open past their retirement dates.\" class=\"wp-image-26566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig4-1024x479.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig4-300x140.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig4-768x359.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig4-1536x719.png 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig4-2048x958.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Figure&nbsp;4&nbsp;\u2013 Annual deaths related to emissions from plants&nbsp;operating&nbsp;during their 202(c)&nbsp;order periods. Estimates calculated using&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cobra.epa.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EPA\u2019s Co-Benefits Risk Assessment Health Impacts Screening and Mapping Tool (COBRA)<\/a>. Bars&nbsp;represent&nbsp;median estimates while black error bars denote minimum and&nbsp;maximum&nbsp;estimates.&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">This has to stop \u2013 and we\u2019re fighting to make it happen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Trump administration&#8217;s Section 202(c) orders aren&#8217;t emergency measures. They are a systematic effort to prop up an uneconomical industry at the public&#8217;s expense; in dollars, in health, and in lives. Every day these orders remain in effect, communities near these plants breathe dirtier air and families pay higher electricity bills.<br>EDF and our partners are challenging these orders in court. The legal case is strong: plants that sit idle for hundreds of days under &#8220;emergency&#8221; mandates, while the Trump administration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/media\/epa-dismantles-protections-mercury-and-air-toxics-power-plants\">rolls back<\/a> emission limits for power plants and grants them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edf.org\/maps\/epa-pollution-pass\/\">passes to pollute<\/a>, expose the hollow justification behind these orders. Courts have tools to stop this \u2014 and we are using them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>You can read our full report <a href=\"https:\/\/library.edf.org\/AssetLink\/m5037r528lw76q27438ef3bb85g5fyy5.pdf\">here<\/a>, look into the dataset yourself <a href=\"https:\/\/library.edf.org\/AssetLink\/i50nc7ri245b88065034e2tcy74do7d7.xlsx\">here<\/a>, and read our methodology <a href=\"https:\/\/library.edf.org\/AssetLink\/0h4dcsy622486dk8phvqf443bk0fcgpn.pdf\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Co-authored by EDF analysts Rishab&nbsp;Jagetia&nbsp;and Grace Hauser The Trump administration has spent over&nbsp;500 days&nbsp;flouting environmental rules to prop up dying coal plants \u2014 and everyday Americans are paying for it with their health&nbsp; For over a year, the Trump administration has invoked Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, typically reserved for emergencies, to force &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[108241,152,108284],"coauthors":[107964],"class_list":["post-26559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-clean-electricity","tag-climate-change","tag-environmental-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The health harms of keeping fossil fuel plants\u00a0from\u00a0retiring - Climate 411<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Trump administration is\u00a0flouting environmental rules to prop up dying coal plants. Everyday Americans are paying for it with their health.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The health harms of keeping fossil fuel plants\u00a0from\u00a0retiring - Climate 411\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Trump administration is\u00a0flouting environmental rules to prop up dying coal plants. Everyday Americans are paying for it with their health.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Climate 411\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-15T21:06:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-15T21:28:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig1-1024x724.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"724\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ted Kelly\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ted Kelly\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ted Kelly\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cb183eb015eac5e36efe36c152df371e\"},\"headline\":\"The health harms of keeping fossil fuel plants\u00a0from\u00a0retiring\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-15T21:06:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-15T21:28:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1049,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/7\\\/files\\\/\\\/Fig1-1024x724.png\",\"keywords\":[\"clean electricity\",\"climate change\",\"environmental health\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/\",\"name\":\"The health harms of keeping fossil fuel plants\u00a0from\u00a0retiring - Climate 411\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/7\\\/files\\\/\\\/Fig1-1024x724.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-15T21:06:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-15T21:28:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cb183eb015eac5e36efe36c152df371e\"},\"description\":\"The Trump administration is\u00a0flouting environmental rules to prop up dying coal plants. Everyday Americans are paying for it with their health.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/7\\\/files\\\/\\\/Fig1-scaled.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/7\\\/files\\\/\\\/Fig1-scaled.png\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1810,\"caption\":\"Map of plants that have received 202(c) orders from the Trump administration.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/15\\\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The health harms of keeping fossil fuel plants\u00a0from\u00a0retiring\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/\",\"name\":\"Climate 411\",\"description\":\"Blogging the science and policy of global warming\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cb183eb015eac5e36efe36c152df371e\",\"name\":\"Ted Kelly\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9cadf2a3903c69ccb558dc95ed7f8c06015847cd597c1bebde1e50bc7206add0?s=96&d=mm&r=ge10ad90455949853d5db62db37b66619\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9cadf2a3903c69ccb558dc95ed7f8c06015847cd597c1bebde1e50bc7206add0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9cadf2a3903c69ccb558dc95ed7f8c06015847cd597c1bebde1e50bc7206add0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ted Kelly\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.edf.org\\\/climate411\\\/author\\\/tekelly\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The health harms of keeping fossil fuel plants\u00a0from\u00a0retiring - Climate 411","description":"The Trump administration is\u00a0flouting environmental rules to prop up dying coal plants. Everyday Americans are paying for it with their health.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The health harms of keeping fossil fuel plants\u00a0from\u00a0retiring - Climate 411","og_description":"The Trump administration is\u00a0flouting environmental rules to prop up dying coal plants. Everyday Americans are paying for it with their health.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/","og_site_name":"Climate 411","article_published_time":"2026-09-15T21:06:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-15T21:28:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":724,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/Fig1-1024x724.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Ted Kelly","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ted Kelly","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/"},"author":{"name":"Ted Kelly","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/#\/schema\/person\/cb183eb015eac5e36efe36c152df371e"},"headline":"The health harms of keeping fossil fuel plants\u00a0from\u00a0retiring","datePublished":"2026-09-15T21:06:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-15T21:28:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/"},"wordCount":1049,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig1-1024x724.png","keywords":["clean electricity","climate change","environmental health"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/","name":"The health harms of keeping fossil fuel plants\u00a0from\u00a0retiring - Climate 411","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig1-1024x724.png","datePublished":"2026-09-15T21:06:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-15T21:28:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/#\/schema\/person\/cb183eb015eac5e36efe36c152df371e"},"description":"The Trump administration is\u00a0flouting environmental rules to prop up dying coal plants. Everyday Americans are paying for it with their health.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig1-scaled.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/7\/files\/\/Fig1-scaled.png","width":2560,"height":1810,"caption":"Map of plants that have received 202(c) orders from the Trump administration."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2026\/09\/15\/impacts-of-coal-plant-extensions\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The health harms of keeping fossil fuel plants\u00a0from\u00a0retiring"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/","name":"Climate 411","description":"Blogging the science and policy of global warming","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/#\/schema\/person\/cb183eb015eac5e36efe36c152df371e","name":"Ted Kelly","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9cadf2a3903c69ccb558dc95ed7f8c06015847cd597c1bebde1e50bc7206add0?s=96&d=mm&r=ge10ad90455949853d5db62db37b66619","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9cadf2a3903c69ccb558dc95ed7f8c06015847cd597c1bebde1e50bc7206add0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9cadf2a3903c69ccb558dc95ed7f8c06015847cd597c1bebde1e50bc7206add0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ted Kelly"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/author\/tekelly\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/153020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26559"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26578,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26559\/revisions\/26578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26559"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=26559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}