3 reasons US coal power is disappearing – and a Supreme Court ruling won’t save it

Coal was the dominant fuel for U.S. power plants until 2016. This PacifiCorp power plant in Utah still uses it. George Frey/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. coal industry chalked up a couple of rare wins this summer. First the Supreme Court issued a ruling limiting the government’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Then President Joe Biden’s climate plan stalled in Congress again.

But while some specific threats to the industry have subsided, that doesn’t mean coal-fired power plants will make a comeback.