Trump Administration Issues a Third Sham Emergency Order to Force the J.H. Campbell Power Plant to Keep Burning Coal

The Department of Energy issued another 90-day order to force the owners of the J.H Campbell Power Plant to keep the power plant running.

“The costs of unnecessarily running this jalopy coal plant just continue to mount,” said Michael Lenoff, Earthjustice senior attorney. “Coal is more expensive than modern resources like wind, solar, and batteries. What’s more, these aging coal power plants are increasingly unreliable and prone to breaking down. They’re also filthy, dumping toxics into nearby waters (such as Lake Michigan) and spewing pollutants into the air we breathe. Yet the Trump Administration proceeds anyhow, apparently ready to issue additional orders to prevent the long-planned retirement of some of the dirtiest and oldest coal-burning power plants in the U.S. That amounts to a corporate bailout of coal at our expense.”

Consumers Energy had planned to close the aging coal-fired power plant at the end of May 2025, securing more than adequate replacement power. But just days before it was to retire, the Trump Administration falsely invoked emergency powers to force the power plant to continue operating, upending the usual legal and regulatory decision-making process.

Consumers Energy, the Michigan Public Service Commission, and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) all concluded that there was adequate power generation without the J.H. Campbell plant.

In an earnings report, Consumers Energy estimated that it cost more than $80 million to comply with prior DOE orders from May 23 through September 30, an average of more than $615,000 per day. The costs are set to be paid by households across the northern and central regional MISO grid, from Eastern Montana to Michigan and nine other states. Continuing to operate an unnecessary and expensive coal plant will increase utility bills and dangerous pollution in our air and water, and undermines Michigan’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2040.

Earthjustice and public advocacy groups are challenging the DOE’s prior orders in court, petitioning the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for review. The prior orders, like the new one, are unlawful and should be struck down.