All but two members of Kentucky’s U.S. House delegation voted for a bill to discourage the retirement of coal generation.
The House of Representatives passed the Power Plant Reliability Act on Tuesday by a vote of 222 to 202.
Two members of Kentucky’s six-member delegation, Democrat Morgan McGarvey and Republican Thomas Massie, voted no.
The bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Morgan Griffith of Virginia, would allow states to petition the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to order a power plant to stay in operation.
It would require power companies to issue a five-year public notice ahead of any planned power plant closures.
The bill is aimed at slowing the retirement of coal plants in particular, which have become less competitive with natural gas and increasingly, renewables.
In a statement, Massie explained his vote.
“The practical effect of the bill will be to centralize control of electricity generation decisions in Washington, D.C., at the expense of states, markets, and plant owners,” he said. “It is an incremental step towards turning the electricity grid into a federal asset.”
Massie has voted against the Republican House leadership on a number of issues. He was the leading Republican pushing for the Department of Justice to release its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He also opposed President Donald Trump’s signature legislative achievement, a package of tax and spending measures that Congress passed this year.
He was one of three Republicans to vote against the power plant bill.
Trump has made reviving the coal industry one of his top domestic priorities. He’s delayed the retirement of a coal plant in Michigan, and others are likely to follow.
Trump’s policies haven’t necessarily helped increase coal production or jobs.
