As Campbell plant gets fourth order to keep operating, Nessel vows to keep fighting back

PORT SHELDON TWP. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is planning to again challenge the continued emergency orders from the U.S. Department of Energy to force a coal plant in Port Sheldon Township to remain open.

The J.H. Campbell plant, owned by Consumers Energy, was scheduled to close on May 31, 2025, but Energy Secretary Chris Wright exercised wartime powers and ordered the company to continue operating the plant on May 23.

On Feb. 17, Wright extended the order for the fourth time — each order expires after 90 days — which will now keep the Campbell open for a full year past its planned closure date.

The Energy Department said the emergency order and its various extensions are authorized by Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act and is in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order: Declaring a National Energy Emergency to ensure that power generation availability in the region does not “dip below 2024 capacity levels.”

“The emergency conditions that necessitated the issuance of Order Nos. 202-25-3, 202-257, and 202-25-9 continue, both in the near and long term,” Wright’s latest order said.

“Further, as a coal-fired facility, it would be difficult for the Campbell plant to resume operations once it has been retired,” Wright said. “Specifically, any stop and start of operation creates heating and cooling cycles that could cause an immediate failure that could take 30-60 days to repair if a unit comes offline.  

“In addition, other practical issues, such as employment, contracts, and permits may greatly increase the timeline for resumption of operations. If Consumers were to begin disassembling the plant or other related facilities, the associated challenges would be greatly exacerbated.  Thus, continuous operation is required in such cases so long as the Secretary determines a shortage exists and is likely to persist,” Wright said in the order.

Critics say the forced continuations to operate are actually causing additional costs for Michigan residents rather than avoiding them.

When it announced the intended 2025 closure of the Campbell in 2021, Consumers said the move was expected to save working families and businesses $600 million by 2040.

Consumers Energy has said the cost of keeping the plant open is $615,000 a day and reported at least $135 million in costs associated with the Campbell plant past the scheduled retirement date, not including ongoing costs of running the plant from Dec. 31 to the present.

“During his first month in office, President Trump promised to lower energy costs in half in his first year. Instead, he declared a false energy emergency that is forcing outdated and expensive coal plants to remain open, like the Campbell plant, and working families are paying for it,” said Bentley Johnson, federal government affairs director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. 

“As energy bills skyrocket, keeping the Campbell Coal plant open has racked up a $135 million price tag, and families in Michigan and across the Midwest will see it on their energy bills. Trump’s decision to once again force the coal plant open shows that keeping profits flowing for the fossil fuel interests that supported his campaign are his priority instead of reining in rising energy costs for Michigan families,” Johnson said.

Consumers Energy has said the cost of keeping the plant open is $615,000 a day and has already been granted permission to pass those costs to customers by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Nessel is fighting that decision in court as well as Wright’s orders, arguing that the underlying claim that there is an energy emergency is unlawful.

Nessel said she intends to request a hearing on the additional costs to ensure that they are “accurate and reasonable.” She also has challenged similar DOE orders targeting coal plants in Indiana, as both states belong to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator north and central regions, or MISO, which consists of 11 states and one Canadian province. 

“The Department of Energy has once again failed to show any legitimate energy emergency after almost a year of unlawfully forcing the J.H. Campbell Plant to remain operational,” Nessel said in a Feb. 20 news release. “Instead of respecting Michigan’s careful planning and the rule of law, this administration is propping up an aging coal plant at a staggering and completely unnecessary cost to ratepayers. My office will continue to challenge these arbitrary orders to protect our residents from bankrolling a fabricated crisis.”

A link to the official Department of Energy order can be found here. 

— Sarah Leach is the executive editor of the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at sleach@ottawanewsnetwork.org. Follow her on Twitter @ONNLeach.