These Six States Are Down to Their Last Coal Plant

     In the past few years, Oregon, New Jersey, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and New York have completely rid themselves of the scourge of coal. Hawaii, Nevada, Washington, and Delaware have declared their intent to do so before 2030, which should bring the total to 12. There are six more states that are down to just one functioning coal plant each, and these six states could easily join the other 12, with or without any government action, to bring the total to a minimum of 18 states that ditch coal before 2030:

1. California currently powers much of the LA area with the Intermountain Power Plant in Western Utah. However, this plant has announced it intention to transition entirely to a mix of natural gas and hydrogen by 2025 and eventually to 100 percent hydrogen. This leaves the Argus Cogeneration Plant in San Bernadino County, a small coal plant that is the last in California and, if still open in 2025, would be the last on the West Coast.
2. Idaho, a deep red state, still benefits mostly from hydroelectric power generated by the many large rivers in the Pacific Northwest. As such, it has had to rely very little on coal. It his home to just one coal plant, which, if still open in 2025, would constitute the last coal plant in the Pacific Northwest (the Centralia Power Plant in Washington is scheduled to close in 2025; it is the only other coal power plant on the West Coast aside from Argus in California as well as the only other coal power plant aside from the Amalgamated Sugar Twin Falls Power Plant).
3. South Dakota, like Idaho, is a deep red state that benefits from hydroelectric power. With numerous closures in the past decade, just one coal plant remains open, the 475 MW Big Stone Coal Plant in rural Grant County, on the border with Minnesota.
4. Maryland, an Appalachian as well as an East Coast state, once relied heavily on coal but is seeing a dramatic shift. One coal plant closed in May of this year, while one more coal plant had one of its two units close in 2020. The last unit of this coal plant as well as another entire coal plant are on track to be retired by 2025. This leaves only one coal plant that has not scheduled retirement, the Warrior Run Generating Station in Cumberland, Maryland. 
5. South Carolina was home to seven coal plants at the industry's peak in the state. One plant closed in 2012, one plant closed in 2017, one plant is scheduled to close in 2027, two plants are scheduled to closed in 2028, and a sixth plant is scheduled to close in 2030. This leaves just one plant, the massive Cross Generating Station just outside of Charleston.
6. New Hampshire, with the closure of the Schiller Station in late 2020, became home to the last coal plant in the entirety of New England, the Merrimack Station, which generates less than one percent of the state's energy. In spite of this, the Republican-controlled state has refused to make any progress in transitioning toward clean energy, with this 65-year-old plant currently having no plans to retire.