Water Damage Restoration in West Olive, MI

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."

MISO, however, on Sunday ordered rolling blackouts in New Orleans and surrounding parishes to about 100,000 Louisiana customers in an attempt to reduce load and avoid an even larger blackout and grid instability.

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 will comply with the order, utility spokesman Brian Wheeler said."We are pausing decommissioning activities at the Campbell plant and will operate it in compliance with the order, working in conjunction with MISO," he said, adding that Consumers is working to determine appropriate cost recovery that federal law and rules allow the utility to collect, that would be included in the rates of MISO customers, that cover Consumers' costs to comply with the federal order.

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 what 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."

This story was updated to include additional information.

Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com.

The Federal Power Act’s section 202(c) gives the DOE secretary the authority to temporarily order power plants to operate during wars and emergencies. It has been used 16 times since August 2020, according to DOE.

In January, President Donald Trump declared that the United States faces an “energy emergency” and in April he ordered DOE Secretary Chris Wright to develop a process for issuing emergency orders to keep power plants operating in areas of the country deemed to have potential grid reliability problems.

DOE cited two reports in finding that an emergency exists in MISO: NERC’s 2025 Summer Reliability Assessment issued on May 14 and the grid operator’s capacity auction results released in late April.

The NERC assessment found that MISO, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, ISO New England and the Southwest Power Pool were at elevated risks of not having enough power supplies during stressed peak demand periods. No region was at high risk of electricity shortfalls, according to the report.

Citing a MISO report on the auction results, Wright said, “while the results ‘demonstrated sufficient capacity,’ the summer months reflected the ‘highest risk and a tighter supply-demand balance’ and the results ‘reinforce the need to increase capacity.’”

Wright ordered MISO to dispatch the Campbell power plant economically to minimize ratepayer costs. “Following conclusion of this order, sufficient time for orderly ramp down is permitted, consistent with industry practices,” Wright said.

DOE issued the emergency order without a request from the plant owner, transmission provider or grid operator, according to Ari Peskoe, director of the Electricity Law Initiative at the Harvard Law School Environmental and Energy Law Program.

“Prior to this order and the previous week’s order about Puerto Rico, DOE’s practice was not to actively search for emergencies but instead wait for affected parties to request an emergency order,” Peskoe said in an email. “It’s not clear from the order why DOE acted here without a request.”

Consumers Energy plans to comply with the DOE order, according to Brian Wheeler, a spokesman for the utility. “We are pausing decommissioning activities at the Campbell plant and will operate it in compliance with the order, working in conjunction with MISO,” Wheeler said in an email. Consumers Energy is working to determine appropriate cost recovery, consistent with applicable law and the DOE order, he said.

Like in other regions, power plant owners in MISO must get permission from the grid operator to retire a generating unit. MISO studies whether a power plant shutdown will hurt grid reliability. If reliability would be hurt, MISO can enter into a special contract with the power plant owner to keep the generating unit running until a solution to the reliability issue is put in place.

MISO in March 2022 approved Consumers Energy’s plan to suspend operations at the Campbell power plant by June 1, according to the CMS Energy utility. The grid operator has also approved Northern States Power’s plan to suspend operations on May 31 at its 190-MW, coal-fired Wheaton power plant in Wisconsin. The Xcel Energy utility is converting the Wheaton power plant to burn gas.

The Campbell power plant produced 6.6 million MWh in 2023, making it Michigan’s eighth biggest power supplier that year, down from 7.7 million MWh in 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Earlier this month, Consumers Energy said it had adequate power supplies to meet its needs this summer. The Jackson, Michigan-based utility said it expects to expand its gas-fired Zeeland power plant by 50 MW by mid-June.

The Consumers Energy-owned power plant began operating 1962 and was preparing for a 2025 retirement before the order was handed down.

WEST OLIVE, Mich. — A more than 60-year-old coal power plant in West Olive is ordered to postpone a planned retirement of the complex by the Department of Energy (DOE).

Just last week, the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant was working to shutter the facility, then DOE Secretary of Energy Chris Wright declared an emergency and ordered the plant to remain open temporarily.

Wright's order declares an emergency for portions of the Midwest grid after a report showed the potential for tight electric reserves for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which operates an electric grid across 15 states in the central United States. The DOE's order aims to increase reliability and reduce rates

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) released its 2025 Summer Reliability Assessment and it forecasts that MISO is at an elevated risk of shortfalls during high-demand periods this summer, particularly in August.

The J.H. Campbell Complex—which is capable of generating 1,560 MW—was set to be retired this month, with operations ceasing on May 31.

Consumers Energy and MISO had planned for the reduction in electric capacity on the grid with the closure of J.H. Campbell and acquired a 1,200 MW natural gas power plant in Covert to supplement the reduction in electricity generated.

But despite the acquisition, the NERC Assessment still anticipates “elevated risk of operating reserve shortfalls.”

Wright's order, issued on May 23, 2025, takes immediate effect and requires MISO to "take every step to employ economic dispatch of the Campbell Plant to minimize cost to ratepayers." Consumers Energy is directed to comply with all orders from MISO.

The utility company provided a statement in response to the DOE's order:

"Consumers Energy plans to comply with the 90-day pause from the Department of Energy. We are reviewing the executive action and the overall impact on our company."

The order has received both praise and pushback from lawmakers and official government bodies. The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) says that the order will do just the opposite of its intention, calling it "unnecessary" and claiming it will raise prices on customers.

Dan Scripps, Chair of the MPSC, issued the following statement in response to the order:

“The unnecessary recent order from the U.S. Department of Energy will increase the cost of power for homes and businesses in Michigan and across the Midwest.“Michigan is proud of its robust approach to resource planning which balances reliability and affordability. We currently produce more energy in Michigan than needed. As a result, there is no existing energy emergency in either Michigan or MISO.“The MPSC will continue to work with MISO and Consumers Energy to assess the impacts of the DOE’s order and work to limit unnecessary cost increases imposed as a result of this order.”

Rep. Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River) issued a statement in support of the emergency order to keep the power plant open:

“I want to thank the administration and Secretary Wright for hearing our concerns and taking action to protect this critical energy asset and keep J.H. Campbell operational. The baseload energy produced there is crucial to tens of thousands of people who count on reliable and affordable energy.

“This facility is a regional asset, not just to Michigan, but to the entire Midwest. Its importance cannot be understated. If J.H. Campbell goes down, we enter into dangerous territory, where one bad day for any generation asset — whether it be baseload, wind, or solar — could mean widespread outages.

“The President and his administration continue to recognize the importance of safeguarding American energy production. I’m grateful for their never-ending commitment to protecting the American people’s access to affordable and reliable energy.”

According to the order, the power plant will remain open until August 21, 2025. Consumers Energy did not say if they plan to continue with the plant's retirement and closing after the order expires.

- Environmental advocates are raising alarms after the Trump administration's decision to keep a Michigan coal plant running through summer, despite plans for its closure. - The emergency order, criticized as a "sham," is seen by advocates as a misuse of presidential power, with significant public health impacts. - The Sierra Club highlights the plant's role in causing 44 premature deaths and 455 asthma attacks each year, while critics challenge the reliability claims underpinning the order.

The Trump administration has ordered a West Michigan coal plant to remain operational through the summer, invoking emergency federal powers in a move that has prompted criticism from environmental advocates, legal analysts, and clean energy proponents.

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued an emergency order directing the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), in coordination with Consumers Energy, to keep the 1,560-megawatt J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan, online through August. The plant had been slated for permanent shutdown on May 31 as part of Consumers Energy’s transition away from coal.

The order was issued under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act and aligns with President Donald Trump’s April 8 executive order declaring a national “energy emergency.” The Department of Energy said the action is necessary “to minimize the risk of blackouts and address critical grid security issues in the Midwestern region of the United States ahead of the high electricity demand expected this summer.”

“Today’s 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,” Wright said in a statement. “This administration will not sit back and allow dangerous energy subtraction policies threaten the resiliency of our grid and raise electricity prices on American families.”

Consumers Energy confirmed it will comply.

“Consumers Energy plans to comply with the 90-day pause from the Department of Energy. We are reviewing the executive action and the overall impact on our company,” said Katie Carey, Director of Media Relations.

However, environmental and public health groups strongly condemned the move. The Sierra Club called the emergency declaration a “sham” and criticized the administration for overriding a previously approved retirement plan supported by state regulators and energy experts.

“Donald Trump invoking the Federal Power Act is an illegal abuse of his presidential authority,” Greg Wannier, senior attorney for the Sierra Club, said in a statement. “Coal is expensive, outdated, and deadly, and all of the relevant parties, including MISO… concluded years ago that J.H. Campbell could retire without causing any grid reliability problems.”

The Clean Air Task Force estimates the Campbell plant is responsible for 44 premature deaths and 455 asthma attacks annually. Sierra Club Michigan organizer Bryan Smigielski said, “This blatant act of federal overreach… is being imposed against the wishes of Michigan consumers, businesses, regulators, and elected leaders.”

Critics also questioned the reliability justification.

“The Department of Energy muscling in on reliability in ways that can be abused,” said Tyson Slocum of Public Citizen in a statement, while Ari Peskoe of Harvard Law School wrote on Bluesky that the April 8 order “imagines that a 90-year old law about power sector ‘emergencies’ empowers the Dept of Energy to subsidize any power plant in the country.

J.H. Campbell power plant supplies power to a million residents, but is scheduled to close next week

The Department of Energy is invoking emergency powers to keep a decades-old coal-fired power plant in Michigan online, an effort designed to avoid power outages and grid reliability issues as summer, a peak power demand season, fast approaches, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

In an emergency order signed late Friday afternoon, Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed the region's grid operator to coordinate with the Michigan-based Consumers Energy, ensuring the utility company's J.H. Campbell power plant remains available for operation. The West Olive, Mich., plant was slated to be permanently retired on May 31 as part of Consumers Energy's plans to eliminate its coal fleet and slash carbon emissions by 90 percent.

The J.H. Campbell power plant, though, has a generation capacity of approximately 1,450 megawatts, enough to supply power to a million Michigan residents.

Friday's order signals that the Department of Energy is concerned the plant's closure would have devastating impacts on Michigan's grid and potentially lead to a significant power shortfall. Those concerns are in line with what experts and grid operators have repeatedly expressed—according to the nation's top grid watchdog, the Midwest is at "high risk" of shortfalls due in large part to the planned retirements of fossil-fuel-fired power plants.

"Today's 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," Wright said in a statement provided to the Free Beacon. "This administration will not sit back and allow dangerous energy subtraction policies threaten the resiliency of our grid and raise electricity prices on American families."

"With President Trump's leadership, the Energy Department is hard at work securing the American people access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy that powers their lives regardless of whether the wind is blowing, or the sun is shining," he added.

Driven by state policies heavily incentivizing or mandating green energy investment, coal-fired power generation has dwindled over the last two decades nationwide, federal data show. In Michigan, coal plants generated 21 percent of total electricity in 2024, down from the 66 percent coal generated in 2009.

Overall, utility companies nationwide have announced coal-fired plant closures that would take 9,356 megawatts of power off the grid, even as U.S. power demand is projected to spike in the coming years, according to a report published by the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis.

"Coal plants are already being phased out precisely because they impose too many hidden costs on our communities—higher utility rates, lost economic productivity, increased healthcare bills, and severe water and air pollution that is costly to control and clean up," Bryan Smigielski, a Michigan campaign organizer for the eco-activist group Sierra Club, said in April.

Wright's action, though, illustrates how the Trump administration is undaunted by existing climate goals that seek to rapidly shut down fossil fuel sources and replace them with green energy alternatives.

That contrasts with the Biden Energy Department's approach, which enthusiastically encouraged utility companies to pursue a rapid green energy transition. In fact, Biden energy secretary Jennifer Granholm in January offered a $5.2 billion loan to Consumers Energy to help the company build more solar, wind, and battery storage, and replace fossil fuel infrastructure.

Wright's order Friday invoked emergency powers conferred on the energy secretary under the Federal Power Act. Those powers are rarely invoked—Wright has turned to them once before, while Granholm used them just 11 times.

J.H. Campbell power plant first opened in 1962. It expanded in 1967 and again in 1980.