REDIRECTING FEDERAL FUNDS TOWARD COAL AND NUCLEAR PLANT COMMUNITIES

This research note argues that $2 billion in proposed federal subsidies intended to prevent the retirement of six FirstEnergy coal and nuclear power plants should instead be redirected toward economic transition and workforce development for the affected communities.

• The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposed a two-year period of electricity purchases to prevent the retirement of certain power plants, which the author suggests targets large coal and nuclear facilities.
• Analysis by Energy Innovation and the Climate Policy Initiative indicates that keeping six of FirstEnergy's market-exposed coal and nuclear plants running profitably would require approximately $1 billion per year, totaling $2 billion over two years.
• The regional grid operator (PJM) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) have indicated that federal intervention is not necessary for grid reliability, and that customers in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio would not experience service disruptions if these plants closed.
• The author proposes redirecting the $2 billion in subsidies—which would amount to over $300 million per community—toward locally-led solutions, such as diversifying local economies and supporting workforce development programs.
• In Ohio, transitioning to a clean energy economy is estimated to potentially generate over $25 billion in new investment and create more than 20,000 new jobs.

APA

Aggarwal, S. (2018). REDIRECTING FEDERAL FUNDS TOWARD COAL AND NUCLEAR PLANT COMMUNITIES. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/FirstEnergy-communities-research-note_FINAL_8.17.18.pdf

Chicago

Aggarwal, Sonia. REDIRECTING FEDERAL FUNDS TOWARD COAL AND NUCLEAR PLANT COMMUNITIES. Energy Innovation, 2018. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/FirstEnergy-communities-research-note_FINAL_8.17.18.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aggarwal |first1=Sonia |title=REDIRECTING FEDERAL FUNDS TOWARD COAL AND NUCLEAR PLANT COMMUNITIES |publisher=Energy Innovation |date=August 2018 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/FirstEnergy-communities-research-note_FINAL_8.17.18.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aggarwal2018redirecting, author = {Aggarwal, Sonia}, title = {{REDIRECTING FEDERAL FUNDS TOWARD COAL AND NUCLEAR PLANT COMMUNITIES}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/FirstEnergy-communities-research-note_FINAL_8.17.18.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }