BERLIN—German lawmakers have finalized the country’s long-awaited phaseout of coal as an energy source, backing a plan that environmental groups say isn’t ambitious enough and free marketeers criticize as a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Measure approved by both houses of parliament on July 3 envision shutting down the last coal-fired power plant by 2038 and spending some 40 billion ($45 billion) to help affected regions cope with the transition.
