Letters to the Editor: Close the Campbell, Trump's 'Victory Day'
Keeping the Campbell plant open past its May 2025 retirement date has cost more than $80,000,000, none of which benefited the utility's clients, one letter author writes.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The views and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not of Ottawa News Network.
Huizenga needs to urge closure of Campbell plant
Rep. Huizenga,
As a constituent, I'm asking that you use your congressional voice to insist that the Department of Energy rescind the emergency order that keeps the J.H. Campbell plant open.
The hypothesized emergency never materialized. And even if it had, critics are pointing out that "even on the day of highest peak demand this summer, MISO had an unused surplus of resources greater than 10 times the power provided by the Campbell plant."
Consumers Energy's CEO Garrick Rochow has told investors that he anticipates continuous extensions of the emergency order at a cost of —$615,385 per day.
To date, keeping this plant open past its May 2025 retirement date has cost more than $80,000,000, none of which benefited the utility's clients, and all of which will eventually raise rates even higher than inflation was already taking them.
This emergency order is functioning as a distraction. It's time for the DOE to face up to the real issues necessary to deliver a safe and secure energy future: electrification, permitting reform, grid modernization, advanced protocols for load management, and the phase-in of cheaper clean energy technologies.
Peter Boogaart
Zeeland
'They also serve ...'
As a veteran, I appreciate Veterans Day.
Originally Armistice Day (or Remembrance Day in some countries), it is observed on Nov. 11, the day in 1918 when the armistice ending hostilities in World War I was signed.
It is intended to show relief and gratitude for an end to the immense devastation, suffering and death of World War I. It was a day of recognition for veterans, both living and dead and for those who grieved and suffered on the homefront. It was to be a day for reflection.
So I am offended by President Donald Trump’s speech at Arlington Cemetery last Veteran’s Day in which he announced that he’d signed a proclamation calling Nov. 11 “Victory in World War I Day.” His rationale was that since many other countries have Victory Days, we should have some, too, because, after all, we were the ones who won those wars. The Allies must be surprised to hear that they played no part in the victories.
He then went on to introduce three soldiers decorated for their heroic acts. Combat requires bravery, for sure, and sometimes results in heroism worthy of recognition. But I’m offended that this man, who actively avoided military service himself, finds heroic acts the only ones worth honoring. It shows his ignorance of what it takes to win a war. After all, only 10-15 percent of soldiers actually participate in combat. Without the support of the other 85-90 percent, not to mention a supportive citizenry, their heroism would be for nought.
If he must have one, there are appropriate days for Trump’s Victory Day. June 28 (WWI), May 8 and Aug. 15 (WWII) come to mind. But leave Veterans Day alone, so that we can honor the unsung and reflect on the cost of war, unsullied by Trump’s triumphalism.
James Dana
Grand Haven
Stop politicking and close the Campbell plant
The planned retirement of the J.H. Campbell coal plant is a win for the people of Michigan. It is good for public health, good for our environment, and — critically — good for the pocketbooks of ratepayers across the state. This transition has been years in the making. Consumers Energy and the Michigan Public Service Commission have spent considerable time analyzing, planning, and preparing for a responsible retirement. Their assessments are clear: reliability is not at risk.
In fact, the institutions charged with keeping our grid stable and affordable—the general public, Consumers Energy, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), and the MPSC — are all aligned in their support. The Campbell plant has a well-defined retirement schedule, and deviating from it now would serve no one.
What Michiganders are concerned about is rising energy costs. Keeping an aging, expensive coal plant running longer than planned only saddles households and businesses with unnecessary additional costs. Every delay translates into higher bills for families already feeling the squeeze.
More troubling is former President Donald Trump’s attempt to invoke the Federal Power Act to interfere in Michigan’s energy decisions. This effort is not only legally baseless — it is an abuse of presidential authority. Energy planning is a matter of state oversight, public process, and sound technical analysis. It should not be commandeered for political purposes.
Any attempt to derail the well-prepared retirement of the Campbell plant subverts Michigan’s authority and provides no public benefit. Michiganders deserve lower costs, cleaner air, and responsible governance — not political interference.
Bill Knapp
Grand Rapids
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