LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — A shuttered west Michigan coal plant is burning again—and state officials say the federal government had no business striking the match.
The Campbell plant.
Attorney General Dana Nessel and a coalition of environmental groups are challenging a U.S. Department of Energy order that forced Consumers Energy to restart its J.H. Campbell plant in Port Sheldon, with one environmental group calling it a misuse of emergency authority.
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“The closure of this coal-powered electric plant has been planned for years,” Nessel said in a June 18 press release.
The Campbell facility, slated for retirement at the end of May, was ordered back online by Energy Secretary Chris Wright on May 23. The Trump appointee cited grid reliability risks and a May report warning of potential shortfalls during summer peaks.
Grid operator: “There is no emergency.”
But grid operator Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) said it is not in an emergency and has enough electricity to meet demand—unless hit by extreme conditions.
“There is no emergency,” Earthjustice attorney Shannon Fisk, who filed a separate rehearing request on behalf of national and state environmental groups, said. “MISO has been clear that it has adequate resources and adequate generation for the upcoming summer.”
Even though consumers ultimately complied with the order, resumed coal deliveries, and began generating power, they also filed a complaint with federal regulators, asking that operational costs be spread across the region.
“We expect the cost of operating the plant should be shared by customers across the north and central MISO region—not borne solely by Consumers Energy customers,” Consumers spokesman Brian Wheeler told The Detroit News. “Actual costs will depend on a number of factors, including offsetting revenue from plant operations, and are still being determined.”
Future legal action is possible.
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The Campbell plant opened in 1962 and was once the largest single source of carbon emissions in west Michigan. Consumers’ 2022 retirement plan, approved by state regulators, aimed to replace its output with solar, battery storage, natural gas, and a one-time electricity purchase.
The DOE order runs through August 21. Nessel has not ruled out further legal action.