Since the start of Trump’s second term, he has issued emergency orders to keep eight coal plants open past their scheduled retirement dates. One example is J.H. Campbell Generating Plant in Michigan. This coal plant has been forced to stay open for an additional 270 days, which costs Consumers Energy over $600,000 per day. And the government isn’t paying for it—those costs have been directly passed on to ratepayers.

Then there’s Tri-State and Platte River in Colorado, which were winding down Craig I's operations when they received their emergency order to keep it running. Now, their customers are essentially paying twice for their electricity—once for the cost of the utilities' clean energy investments, and again for the cost of extending the life of the coal plant. This is a pattern that will keep repeating with continued emergency orders, increasing the financial burden on individuals already dealing with an energy affordability crisis.