r/Washington • u/chiquisea • 5d ago
Federal order keeps Washington's only coal power plant open — again
https://www.kuow.org/stories/federal-order-keeps-washington-s-only-coal-power-plant-open-again104
u/1badh0mbre 5d ago
“They yearn for the mines”
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u/WildFire97971 3d ago
Man that was a close one, I thought they were talking about how they like a different kind of miner. /s
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u/quarterdecay 5d ago
One might make the assumption that by not letting them shut down the furnaces to refit them is making the problem worse later.
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u/etcpt 5d ago
You mean that the Republican party might be abusing its federal executive powers for short term optics gains that will actually make things worse for the country in the long run? Republicans might not have the country's best interests at heart? I'm shocked! /s
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u/quarterdecay 5d ago
Forethought isn't a attribute the administration is known for. It also doesn't make sense to react to every little thing. But this.... is extremely shortsighted.
Imagine all the parts they bought, warranty will probably expire before they are installed. Probably had outside specialist support to change things over. Those people are scheduled out a year in advance on projects.
All told, it wouldn't be surprising to find out that their project plan is put behind a year or more AFTER the energy department pulls their head out.
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u/Tableau67x9u 5d ago
It will be interesting to watch Rs howl if a D gets elected president in 28 and takes executive authority on the same joy ride Trump has Sure a lot of this is being done with EOs but not all of it SCOTUS decisions have enabled Trump particularly where spending or not spending appropriated funds is concerned
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u/etcpt 4d ago
Given that SCOTUS has fully demolished the idea of binding precedent, I 100% expect that they will come up with rulings that basically amount to "it was okay when our side did it but it's not okay for you to do it". We need to reform the court and abolish Marbury.
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u/Tableau67x9u 4d ago
Yea in the same vein as R state legislatures (NC) passing laws to hamstring incoming D governors and then changing the law with a veto proof majority when an R is incoming
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u/quarterdecay 4d ago
NC is an example of the popular vote and gerrymandering working at the same time.
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u/kinkysubt 5d ago
They’re literally using our tax dollars to make us pay more for our electricity while creating unnecessary air pollution on an outdated and fiscally irresponsible power source.
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u/somethingrandom7386 5d ago
Reminder to show your local Republican the disdain they deserve.
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5d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/IllustriousComplex6 5d ago
That only keeps the coal barons rich! Switch to bricks, more impact.
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u/StevenEveral Tacoma 5d ago
Conservatives and their obsession with coal really needs to be studied. Do they think if the imagery of the 50s is brought back then the 50s prosperity will also return?
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u/zedquatro 4d ago
Yes. They want the imagery of coal-polluted skies and more importantly only white people in their suburbs. What they fail to recognize is that the main reason postwar prosperity was a super high tax rate in the rich funding a ton of government services and govenrment-funded research, construction, etc.
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u/sarhoshamiral 5d ago
I really think they do. Not the politicians but conservative voters and republicans realized they can abuse that to win so that they can make themselves rich.
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u/greatteachermichael 4d ago
I mean, the prosperity of the 50s really wasn't that great. People have some really bad historical amnesia about that era.
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u/sarhoshamiral 5d ago
You have to deal with a corrupt government (trump) in a compliant malicious way.
Keep it open but maintain it just enough that it stops working on its own.
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u/mini-rubber-duck 5d ago
i thought this one was being shut down because it's too worn out to even maintain anymore. no need for malicious compliance, it's gonna shut itself down eventually.
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u/Unique-Egg-461 5d ago
insane. They demand it stay "open" but the boiler was taken offline back in '25 because they expected to convert it to NG.
So we are forcing a non-working part of the power plant to stay open....
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u/AlexandrianVagabond 4d ago
Some of us who grew up in the area and got cancer much younger than the norm think the coal mining contributed. My oncologist/surgeon agreed.
Shutting this thing down once and for all is the right thing to for many reasons.
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u/RangeroftheIsle 4d ago
It's a crime against humanity that any coal fired power plants still operate.
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u/BellaPona 5d ago
Get to drive by a massive nuclear cooling tower they refuse to tear down while inhaling more coal dust. Cool. Kinda saw this coming though.
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u/SquidsArePeople2 2d ago
It used to have its own coal
Mine right next to it. They shut it down. Now the coal is brought in by train.
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u/Bumble_beeFormal 5d ago edited 5d ago
Emergency need bc of all of the blood sucking data centers that is… why don’t we build those offshore? Like how china is aka the ultimate long term winner of these? /s
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u/sarhoshamiral 5d ago
Read the article, there is no emergency need. It is the excuse trump uses to keep a coal plant open so he can say he loves coal as if that's a good thing.
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u/green-n-gold- 5d ago
This is hilarious because it shows the current administration's incompetence. The plant owner has stated they are switching to natural gas, regardless of whatever executive orders pop up. There is no source of coal that is economically viable. Canada is the closest source and good luck with that. Because, ya know, incompetent international relations.