As Energy Prices Soar, Senator Markey Introduces New Bill to Stop Trump’s Abuse of Energy Emergency Authority that Forces Families to Pay Millions in Higher Electric Bills

Trump administration forces old fossil fuel power plants to stay online without real emergency need, while ratepayers foot the bill

Bill Text (PDF) | One-Pager (PDF)

Washington (April 16, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today introduced his No Big Fossil Bailouts on Your Power Bill Act. The bill responds to the Trump administration's alarming abuse of energy emergency powers to force power plants-primarily coal-fired facilities-to continue operating beyond their planned retirement dates, causing bills to soar and pollution to surge as a result. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Senator Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-Del.) are cosponsors of the bill.

This emergency authority, which falls under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, is intended for short-term, emergency interventions during sudden disruptions to electricity supply. Instead, the Trump administration has invoked this authority for five coal plants and one oil and gas plant to date-overriding long-planned retirements, ignoring state and regional regulators who have found no reliability need for these plants, and forcing households to pay more than $273 million so far. If the Trump administration uses this authority for more retiring facilities, Americans could be paying up to $6 billion per year in unnecessary power costs.

"With energy bills already skyrocketing from Trump's war on Iran and Trump's assault on clean energy, the Trump administration is adding insult to injury by forcing households to pay for unnecessary, overpriced, old, and dirty fossil fuel power," said Senator Markey. "We must stop Trump's abuse of energy emergency authority for his pet pollution projects, which are sickening communities, increasing energy costs, and doing nothing to improve the reliability of the grid."

The No Big Fossil Bailouts on Your Power Bill Act is endorsed by NRDC, Sierra Club, Earthjustice Action, Public Citizen, Environmental Defense Fund, National Consumer Law Center, Evergreen Action, Appalachian Voices, Center for Biological Diversity, 350 Bay Area Action, and GreenLatinos.

"Coal plant bailouts are costing the public their money and their health. The Trump administration has repeatedly abused so-called 'emergency' authority to keep coal polluters afloat, and it has to stop. Sierra Club is grateful for Senator Markey's bold leadership and proud to support this critical bill to rein in and prevent future abuse," said Patrick Drupp, Director of Climate Policy at the Sierra Club.

"Coal plants break down more than any other source of electricity, and we have cheaper, more dependable energy sources available now to replace these expensive plants that barely work. The Trump administration is mandating unreliable coal plants stay open past their retirement dates and giving away hundreds of millions of dollars in new subsidies to the coal industry. Sen. Markey's proposal would ensure families and businesses don't pay out of their pockets to keep coal plants on life support when more reliable, cheaper and cleaner energy options exist," said Joanna Slaney, Vice President for Political and Government Affairs at Environmental Defense Fund.

"This bill is about ending fossil fuel bailouts disguised as emergencies and putting our communities first. Latino communities are already on the frontlines of pollution and rising energy costs, and we need solutions that protect our health while accelerating a just transition to clean energy," said Meisei Gonzalez, Climate Justice & Clean Air Advocate at GreenLatinos.

"No administration should be able to use phony emergencies to force utilities to make decisions that will increase harmful pollution and raise electric rates even more," said Chelsea Barnes, Director of Government Affairs and Strategy for Appalachian Voices. "This bill will help stop abuses of the Federal Power Act while ensuring that DOE can continue to respond appropriately to real emergencies."

"While people across the country are struggling to pay skyrocketing electricity bills, the Trump administration is abusing emergency powers to prevent the retirement of old coal and fossil fuel plants, further driving up costs. The No Big Fossil Bailouts on Your Power Bill Act will counter the Administration's misuse of the Federal Power Act to prop up coal power plants at our expense. We thank Senator Markey for confronting the Department of Energy's unlawful abuse of emergency powers. We need the Senate to act," said Corey Solow, Legislative Director for Climate and Energy at Earthjustice Action.

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