By admin 
Federal officials ordered Tri-State Generation’s Craig coal-fired power unit open for another three months, nearly through December, extending the “emergency” action despite successful challenges to the controversial policy in other states.
Tri-State had wanted to close the Craig unit for good at the end of December 2025, but Trump administration energy officials said the coal plant was needed in an ongoing emergency for power generation across the country. Friday’s action was the fourth 3-month emergency extension of Craig operations, and the orders now expire on Christmas Day.
In ordering a handful of coal plants to stay open across the U.S., the Trump administration has said utilities and regulators should not shut down reliable fossil fuel-powered electricity generators in favor of renewable energy.
“The Trump administration will continue taking action to ensure we don’t lose critical generation sources,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a former Colorado oil and gas executive. “Americans deserve access to affordable, reliable and secure energy to power their homes all the time, regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.”
Tri-State and environmental groups have both sued the federal government trying to lift the emergency orders and allow Craig to close as scheduled. Colorado utilities are under pressure to meet state mandates of 80% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from electric power by 2030.
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Tri-State officials said Monday they did not have comments about the latest federal emergency extension. The federal orders say Craig must be “available to operate.” Tri-State said information about how often the Craig unit has actually been drawn upon by Western grid operators is confidential.
Earlier in September, a federal court in Washington, D.C., struck down an emergency order keeping a Michigan coal-fired power plant running. The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the Trump administration did not have the authority to issue an emergency order at the J.H. Campbell Generating Plant, in West Olive, Michigan.
The same court also has a lawsuit from Colorado state officials, environmental groups and utilities challenging the order for the Craig plant.
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