Trump Administration Prolongs Illegal, Costly Coal Plant Extension

West Olive, MI —

Last night, the Trump administration issued another expensive, unnecessary, pollution-causing, and illegal emergency order for the J.H. Campbell power plant in Michigan to operate past its planned retirement for another 90 days.

On May 23, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright ordered the Campbell plant to operate past its planned May 31 retirement. That order cost $29 million in just the first five weeks — almost $1 million per day. Costs to comply with the order will be paid by ratepayers in Michigan and 10 other states (IL, IN, IA, KY, MN, MO, MT, ND, SD, and WI), according to a recent decision from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

According to a report released by Grid Strategies on behalf of Sierra Club and other environmental organizations, including Earthjustice, the conservative cost estimate of this extension is nearly $140 million per year; based on the first five weeks, the actual annual cost is expected to be double that.

In June, the Sierra Club, Earthjustice, and other environmental organizations filed a rehearing request at the DOE, and most recently brought the case to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after the DOE failed to respond.

In response, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Director Laurie Williams issued the following statement:

“By illegally extending this sham emergency order, Donald Trump and Chis Wright are costing hardworking Americans more money every single day for a coal plant that is unnecessary, deadly, and extremely expensive.

“While Donald Trump and Chris Wright decry this made-up ‘energy emergency’, they are simultaneously limiting our access to cheap, reliable, renewable energy. If they actually wanted to deliver cost-savings and cleaner air to Americans, they would quit this nonsense and invest in renewable energy.”

Earthjustice Senior Attorney Michael Lenoff added:

“Chris Wright is not a Soviet-era central planner, but his new order suggests he would fit right in. The order purports to override the considered judgment and careful work of many federal, state, and regional bodies who actually have authority to keep the lights on. In their place, Secretary Wright blunders in. He points to no evidence of an imminent emergency requiring Campbell to keep racking up the bills paid by customers in Michigan and nearby states. Despite already forcing the plant to run for 90 days, he points to not a single instance where the plant was needed to keep the lights on. Yet he persists with unlawful, ill-informed orders that benefit coal companies and, well, that’s about it. Campbell is old, clunky, dirty, expensive, and unnecessary. The market dictated its retirement. Secretary Wright needs to stay in his lane and let the market and the professionals keep doing their job.”