"Coal: 'Cash for Cronies.' Past GOP Regulators Oppose Perry Plan"

"A string of former Republicans who served on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have emerged as some of the most vocal critics of the Trump administration's plan to subsidize coal and nuclear power units.

Their opposition ranges from skeptical to outright hostility, but it highlights a major challenge facing Energy Secretary Rick Perry in his effort to preserve America's traditional power grid. To fulfill President Trump's pledge to aid coal, Perry must convince his GOP colleagues to reconsider their faith in competitive electricity markets.

Early indications suggest he has a lot work to do.

'I call it cash for cronies,' said Nora Brownell, an outspoken Republican critic of the proposal, who was appointed to FERC by President George W. Bush."

Benjamin Storrow reports for ClimateWire December 18, 2017.