Wyoming Legislature Passes Bill to Keep Coal Plants Open

Wyoming lawmakers on Feb. 27 approved legislation that would establish a process for the sale coal-fired power plants, which would otherwise be retired. The bill would require utilities to look for buyers before attempting to close coal generators, and buy back power from the plants if they are sold. (SF 159)

Under the bill, utilities would be allowed to recover the costs associated with new facilities built to replace any coal-fired generation capacity only if state regulators determine that they “made a good faith effort” to sell the facility prior to its retirement.

A similar coal-support bill, introduced in Montana last month, would allow the state to sell bonds for up to $500 million to purchase coal-fired generation facilities whose acquisition would be in the public interest. The bill aims at saving the Colstrip plant, which is facing a bleak future as climate change concerns and competition from natural gas and renewables are working against it.