Trump administration orders Consumers Energy to keep Michigan coal-fired power plant open
The Trump administration has ordered Consumers Energy to continue operating a coal-fired power plant in west Michigan that was slated for shutdown May 31, citing the potential for an energy emergency due to heightened summer demand. But the chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission says no energy emergency exists and the move will increase customer costs.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced the emergency order May 23, calling for Consumers Energy's J.H. Campbell plant in Ottawa County's West Olive to remain open beyond its slated closure May 31. The Campbell plant is the last coal-fired power plant operated by Consumers and one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the state.
"(The) emergency order ensures that Michiganders and the greater Midwest region do not lose critical power generation capability as summer begins and electricity demand regularly reach high levels," he said. "This administration will not sit back and allow dangerous energy subtraction policies (to) threaten the resiliency of our grid and raise electric prices on American families."
But Michigan Public Service Commission chairman Dan Scripps said there is no existing energy emergency either in Michigan or with MISO, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the regional energy transmission organization that includes Michigan, 14 other U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba.
"We currently produce more energy in Michigan than needed," Scripps said.
"The unnecessary recent order from the U.S. Department of Energy will increase the cost of power for homes and businesses across the Midwest."
More: DNR halts state land leases for utility-scale solar projects
More: Trump emergency order will expedite permitting process for Enbridge Line 5 tunnel
The J.H. Campbell Complex began operating in 1962 and generates up to 1,450 megawatts of electricity — enough to serve a million people. The 2,000-acre facility was named after James H. Campbell, a former president of Consumers Energy from 1960 to 1972.
The utility in recent years announced plans to provide coal-free power generation and reduce its carbon emissions by 90% by 2025, 15 years faster than earlier projections. By 2040 Consumers Energy officials expected 90% of their electric generation to come from cleaner energy sources.
Consumers Energy officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Trump administration cited its emergency authority under the Federal Power Act, which allows the secretary of energy to require temporary connections of facilities and generation, delivery, interchange or transmission of energy as the secretary determines will best meet an emergency and serve the public interest during a time that the U.S. is engaged in a war "or when an emergency exists by reason of a sudden increase in the demand for electric energy, or a shortage of electric energy, or of facilities for the generation or transmission of electric energy" or other causes.
Greg Wannier, senior attorney for the nonprofit environmental group Sierra Club, said in a statement that the emergency order "is an illegal abuse" of Trump's presidential authority.
'If Trump's made-up energy emergency had an ounce of truth to it, he wouldn't be banning wind energy and canceling renewable energy projects," Wannier said. "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."
Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trump orders Consumers Energy to keep coal-fired plant open
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
11 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump lays into Musk, suggesting he has ‘Trump derangement syndrome'
President Donald Trump appeared to confirm the deterioration of his relationship with Elon Musk, saying he was 'very disappointed' in the tech billionaire after Musk repeatedly blasted the president's sweeping domestic agenda bill in recent days. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office less than one week after the two exchanged effusive praise on Musk's last day as a special government employee. Since then, Musk has strongly criticized what Trump calls his 'Big, Beautiful Bill' that has passed the House and faces an uncertain path forward in the Senate. On Tuesday, Musk called the bill a 'disgusting abomination.' Trump and Musk have not spoken since Musk lashed out at the legislation, a source familiar with the dynamic told CNN. 'He knew every aspect of this bill. He knew it better than almost anybody, and he never had a problem until right after he left,' Trump said, adding that while Musk has not yet personally attacked him, the president expected that could be next. Trump repeatedly claimed that Musk's concerns with the bill were centered on the repeal of electric vehicle subsidies that benefitted Tesla. Musk has admitted his company has struggled in the wake of his political involvement. Musk didn't wait to respond, posting his reactions in real time on his social media platform X. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk said. He added: 'Such ingratitude.' Musk denied Trump's claim that the Tesla CEO knew the inner workings of the bill ahead of time, and countered that the elimination of EV tax incentives has nothing to do with his opposition to the massive domestic policy bill. 'Whatever. Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill' Musk in a separate post. 'In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this! Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.' One Republican strategist who has worked closely with the tech billionaire downplayed the idea that Musk's opposition is only about the EV subsidies, telling CNN that Musk was genuinely troubled by projections of how much the bill would add to the deficit – the reasoning Musk has publicly cited on multiple occasions. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the legislation passed by the House would increase the deficit by $2.4 trillion. During Thursday's Oval Office appearance alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump reminisced about his campaign bromance with Musk, who contributed at least a quarter-billion dollars to efforts supporting Trump's 2024 presidential bid and once called himself Trump's 'first buddy.' 'Elon endorsed me very strongly. He actually went up and campaigned for me. I think I would have won – Susie would say I would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway,' Trump said, referring to his chief of staff Susie Wiles, appearing to hint at tensions between Wiles and Musk. Trump appeared to moderate his tone at times, saying he 'always liked Elon' – before implicitly accusing him of so-called 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.' 'He's not the first – people leave my administration, and they love us, and then at some point they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it, and some of them actually become hostile. I don't know what it is. It's sort of 'Trump derangement syndrome,' I guess they call it, but we have it with others too,' he said. 'They leave, and they wake up in the morning, and the glamour is gone,' he continued. 'The whole world is different, and they become hostile. I don't know what it is.' Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.
Newsweek
13 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Trump Tells German Chancellor D-Day Was 'Not A Pleasant Day For You'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that D-Day—the day Allied forces invaded Normandy, France, during World War II—was "not a great day" for Germany. What To Know Trump made his comments while he and Merz spoke to reporters during Merz's White House visit on Thursday. Merz pointed out that the anniversary of D-Day is on Friday, saying it was when "the Americans ... ended the war in Europe." "That was not a pleasant day for you," Trump responded. "No, that was not a pleasant—well—" Merz began before Trump interjected. "This was not a great day," Trump said. Merz cut in: "In the long run, Mr. President, this was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship." "That's true," Trump said. Merz went on to say that "we know what we owe you," adding that the U.S. can play a similarly crucial role in bringing an end to Russia's war against Ukraine. "America is, again, in a very strong position to do something on this war and ending this war, so let's talk about what we can do jointly," the German chancellor said. "We are ready to do what we can and you know that we gave support to Ukraine and that we are looking for more pressure on Russia ... we should talk about that." MERZ: Tomorrow is the D Day anniversary, when the Americans ended a war in Europe TRUMP: That was not a pleasant day for you? This is not a great day MERZ: This was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 5, 2025 President Donald Trump, right, meets Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Washington. President Donald Trump, right, meets Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Washington. Evan Vucci/AP This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
New York Post
13 minutes ago
- New York Post
Hedge fund titan Ken Griffin rips White House over tax bill
Hedge fund titan Ken Griffin ramped up his war of words with the Trump White House on Wednesday, blasting the president's so-called 'Big, Beautiful' tax bill for adding to Uncle Sam's eye-popping $36 trillion debt pile. The 56-year-old CEO of Citadel, who is worth $42 billion according to Forbes, told the business magazine's annual Iconoclast summit in New York City that if the bill passed, the country would 'unquestionably add several trillion dollars' to the US debt. 'There are a lot of question marks as to why we are continuing to restart tax cuts when we have a fiscal deficit that is this big,' Griffin said at the business magazine's annual Iconoclast summit in lower Manhattan Advertisement 4 Griffin warned that the Trump tax bill will only add to America's debt pile. REUTERS 'The United States' fiscal house is not in order,' Griffin added. 'You cannot run deficits of 6 or 7% at full employment after years of growth. That is just fiscally irresponsible.' Analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecasts that there is a $2.4 trillion black hole in the president's flagship tax bill. Griffin, who moved his firm from Chicago to Miami in 2022, likewise warned that the administration should rein in spending and that investors are already worried about America's finances — posing major risks in the bond markets. Advertisement 'US default prices are probably the same as Italy or Greece,' he said, referring to the so-called credit default swap markets where investors can bet on whether someone will fail to pay their bills. The GOP megadonor also took aim at Trump for criticizing Walmart CEO Doug McMillon after he warned of needing to raise prices in response to higher import costs. 'We should not criticize CEOs for being honest, right? And that's all the CEO of Walmart was doing,' he told the audience in lower Manhattan. 'Shame on the administration.' Advertisement The Post has approached the White House for comment. 4 Elon Musk, who has only recently left the Trump administration, has been repeatedly griping about the bill on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. REUTERS More broadly, Griffin lamented the 'uncertainty' that now clouds investment decisions in the US as a result of policies that have 'called into question American exceptionalism.' 'The administration's attempts to use tariffs come at a dear price for the US economy and come at a dear price for the US consumers, who will undoubtedly pay higher prices,' Griffin told the audience at the upmarket Cipriani ballroom on Broadway in lower Manhattan. Advertisement 'Why do we aspire to bring back to the United States jobs that are actually moving out of China into lower-cost jurisdictions? Why are we aspiring to be the nation of the lowest cost and the lowest-paid workforce in the world? That makes no sense to me.' 4 The tariff tiff blew up at the Beverly Hills Hilton where Trump's allies organized a rival VIP welcome party to go up against Griffin's traditional Milken opener. Bloomberg via Getty Images Griffin, who voted for Trump in November's presidential election, has been a staunch critic of his administration's tariff and trade policies since the real estate mogul's second inauguration earlier this year. The row between the two men spilled over at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills last month, where allies of President Trump organized a rival VIP welcome bash to go up against the Citadel supremo's traditional opening reception. Trump unveiled his tariff plans on April 2, which he dubbed Liberation Day, as he sought to renegotiate new trade deals with countries he believed were treating the United States unfairly. 4 Griffin used a Forbes summit to launch a string of broadsides at the Trump administration over its trade and tariff policies. AP The move has since faced a string of legal challenges, with negotiations failing to bear any fruit until now, apart from an agreement with post-Brexit Britain that was announced on May 8. But discussions with the European Union, one of America's largest trading partners, have faltered, as The Post exclusively reported on May 7.
