Trump Uses Sham “Energy Emergency” to Keep Coal Plants Open

West Olive, MI —

Today, the Trump administration invoked its so-called “energy emergency” to force the J.H. Campbell coal plant to remain open past its planned retirement.

Since coming into office, Donald Trump has weakened domestic energy production by pausing all wind energy projects and proposing to slash hundreds of clean energy projects in the U.S.

In 2021, the J.H. Campbell plant’s parent company Consumers Energy announced plans to retire the plant. After a lengthy and robust review process, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) approved this retirement in 2022. Both Consumers Energy and MPSC have confirmed repeatedly that the retirement will not affect reliability in the plant’s service region.

According to the Clean Air Task Force’s Toll from Coal dashboard, the J.H. Campbell plant that the administration wants to extend is responsible for 44 premature deaths and 455 asthma attacks every year. On top of the drastic health consequences, customers in the region will also have to pay more on their utility bills to cover the costs to keep the plant operational.

In response, Sierra Club Senior Attorney Greg Wannier issued the following statement:

“Donald Trump invoking the Federal Power Act is an illegal abuse of his presidential authority. Coal is expensive, outdated, and deadly, and all of the relevant parties, including MISO, the grid operator ultimately responsible for keeping the lights on in Michigan, concluded years ago that J.H. Campbell could retire without causing any grid reliability problems. Consumers Energy is right to finally retire this hugely expensive plant that is costing Michiganders their lives.

“If Trump’s made-up energy emergency had an ounce of truth to it, he wouldn’t be banning wind energy and cancelling renewable energy projects. This so-called energy emergency is a sham and we will not stand by and let this administration prop up a dying industry so Trump’s fossil fuel buddies can make more money at the expense of Americans.”

Sierra Club Michigan Campaign Organizer Bryan Smigielski added:

“Michigan’s decision to close Campbell came after years of rigorous analysis by local experts and regulators and extensive public input. The results were clear: retirement is the best path to cleaner air and water, lower costs, and real economic growth.

“This blatant act of federal overreach — forcing the plant to stay online — is being imposed against the wishes of Michigan consumers, businesses, regulators, and elected leaders. Don’t be fooled: there is no ‘energy emergency’ here — just a payday for the coal industry that leaves us with higher bills and dirtier air.”

Shannon Fisk, Earthjustice Attorney and Director of State Electric Sector Advocacy, added:

“The Campbell plant was scheduled to retire in eight days as part of a well-thought out plan to ensure reliability and protect the wallets and lungs of Michiganders. Such plan was agreed to by the utility, energy regulators, the state Attorney General, and numerous other stakeholders. This last-minute outside interference by the Trump administration is unnecessary, unreasonable, and would require utility customers to foot the bill for the administration’s ideological agenda.”