Delaware Rethugs–Coal Power To The Rescue?:
The Indian River Power Plant shut down the last coal-fired energy generators in Delaware a year ago, but the hulking industrial site near Millsboro has emerged at the center of a debate over whether it could factor into the state’s energy future.
As new, high-demand energy users like hyper-scale data centers seek to soak up more electricity while aging infrastructure raises concerns about future power grid reliability, energy experts and elected officials alike are brainstorming ways to meet future demand in a region of declining energy supply.
In regulatory filings, NRG blamed economics rather than politics or regulations for the need to close the Indian River power plant, noting that it had incurred financial losses for two consecutive years.
In June 2021, the company announced that it would close three different coal-fired power plants after revenue from the springtime energy auction dropped below $50 a megawatt per day, or a decline of more than 60% from the prior year.
That came at a time of great excess in energy supply when new natural gas-fired plants and renewable energy resources like solar and wind were pushing down costs for now comparatively small energy demands coming out of the COVID pandemic. This was also a time before the current rush to build hyper-scale data centers.
Coal is also a more expensive energy source, from the raw material to operation of the plant and disposal of the coal ash produced in its waste to implementation of scrubbers to reduce air pollution. By operating a coal-fired plant rather than building more efficient plants running on cheaper inputs, NRG was effectively cutting into its revenues – so it pulled the plug.
After reading the entire article, my takeaway was the the reopening is unlikely, but. not impossible.
“It’s Not Just A Phase, He’s Really Gone For Good This Time”:
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Perhaps another war authorization vote is in order, along with the application of the 25th Amendment.
Saudi Arabia Pulling The Strings? Josh Marshall thinks so:
There is another part of this equation which I do not think has gotten sufficient focus. On March 24th The New York Times published an article which reported that the Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, has told President Trump that he needs to finish the job, overthrow the Iranian regime or render it so feeble that it cannot threaten anyone – the second condition likely being impossible without achieving the first. As the Times put it (emphasis added), “Prince Mohammed has conveyed to Mr. Trump that he must press toward the destruction of Iran’s hard-line government.”
Placing a story like this in the Times, is about as clear and as audacious a message a Saudi ruler can send to the US government without purchasing a nationwide 30 second ad campaign. I interpret this as him saying: just to be sure the message is getting through or in case you’re getting the message and not sharing it with your people. Trump whacked a hornets nest and MBS says now Trump needs to remove the nest. It can’t be left in place. He needs to overthrow or defang the Iranian regime. The status quo is unacceptable, whatever nonsense of the day Trump may be saying about the Strait not being his problem.
The common thinking in the US is that President Trump either blundered his way into this mess or was goaded into it by Benjamin Netanyahu. There’s a bit of truth to the second idea and a lot to the first. But it’s MBS and the leader of the UAE along with other gulf princes who are really Trump’s guys, much more than Benjamin Netanyahu. The way the Trump White House has interwoven US security, money and geopolitics with them runs much deeper. And, critically and relatedly, the Trump family’s business ties with them are infinitely deeper.
Ah, yes. That.
US District Courts To The Rescue?:
District court judges nationwide have been increasingly issuing strong rulings challenging the legality of many of Donald Trump’s policies and executive power grabs, blocking key ones at least temporarily, and sparking angry responses from the president, former judges and prosecutors say.
Since the start of Trump’s second term, lower court federal judges have written sharply critical opinions about his legally dubious policies on immigration, tariffs, Department of Justice (DoJ) prosecutions of political foes and more.
The impact of the court rulings by these judges has been sizable, slowing or halting some of the president’s most extreme policies and prompting Trump and Maga allies to respond with vindictive attacks that have helped to fuel some threats against several judges.
Legal experts say the spate of adverse court rulings has created an often toxic courtroom climate for administration lawyers who have been upbraided sharply by judges for making false or tenuous representations in defense of Trump policies.
Former DoJ lawyers credit many district court judges for acting as crucial buffers against Trump’s power grabs and administration disdain for the rule of law.
“District court judges around the country, appointed by Republican and Democratic presidents alike, are serving as the strongest guardrail against the incursions on the rule of law,” ex-DoJ inspector general Michael Bromwich said.
What do you want to talk about?