Environment/energy

Trump Administration Orders Michigan Coal Plant to Stay Open

MAY 28 2025·Updated MAY 29 2025

Story

Above: general view of the U.S. Department of Energy on Feb.14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Image credit: Anna Moneymaker/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued an emergency order last Friday requiring Consumers Energy to continue operating the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan, beyond its planned closure from Saturday through Aug. 21, citing potential summer electricity shortages.
ap
The Hill
Washington Free Beacon
The 1,450-megawatt Campbell plant, which can serve up to 1 million people, was scheduled to close as part of Consumers Energy's broader plan to eliminate coal use by 2025 and transition to cleaner energy sources, aiming to reduce carbon emissions by 90%.
Detroit Free Press
Canary Media
Energy Secretary Chris Wright cited a North American Electric Reliability Corporation report that labeled the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region as having elevated risk for potential electricity shortfalls during high-demand periods.
Mlive
Utility Dive
Michigan Public Service Commission Chair Dan Scripps contested the order's necessity, stating that Michigan currently produces more energy than needed and no emergency exists in either Michigan or the MISO region.
Detroit Free Press
The Hill
Consumers Energy announced it would comply with the federal order, pause decommissioning activities, and work with MISO to determine appropriate cost recovery measures consistent with applicable law.
CBS News
The Hill
The emergency order was issued under the Federal Power Act, which grants the Energy Secretary authority to require temporary operation of facilities during wartime or emergencies, marking a significant federal intervention in state-level energy planning.
Utility Dive
Canary Media

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

The Trump administration's emergency order represents a prudent, crucial step to protect grid reliability and prevent potential blackouts during peak summer demand. Keeping the Campbell plant operational provides essential baseload power that can't be reliably replaced by intermittent renewable sources, ensuring energy security for Michigan residents and preventing unnecessary risks to the power supply. This is a pushback against reckless "energy subtraction" policies that harm everyday Americans.

Washington Free Beacon

Anti-Trump narrative

This reckless intervention undermines Michigan's carefully planned transition to clean energy and unnecessarily prolongs the operation of a polluting facility. The order ignores state-level planning that has already ensured adequate power supplies while forcing customers to bear increased costs for running an aging, inefficient coal plant that should be retired as scheduled. This is a manufactured emergency to boost Trump's coal-centric policies.

Canary Media