Lansing, MI (WGHN) – Environmental groups and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed legal challenges Wednesday against a federal emergency order that is temporarily keeping a west Michigan coal plant in operation.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) intervened just days before Consumers Energy was set to close its J.H. Campbell power plant in Ottawa County on May 31. The plant was scheduled for retirement as part of the utility’s ongoing transition to cleaner and more affordable energy sources.
Instead, citing a potential summer electricity shortfall across the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) grid — which manages power in 15 states and parts of Canada — the DOE ordered the plant to remain operational through at least late August.
In a 54-page petition, environmental advocates argue that the department overstepped its authority and fabricated an emergency to justify the order according to WOOD TV 8.
“There is no legitimate energy emergency that warrants keeping this aging and increasingly unreliable plant online,” said Shannon Fisk, an attorney with Earthjustice. “This is a highly unusual and unjustified move.”
Attorney General Nessel echoed those concerns, saying the federal directive undermines Michigan’s clean energy goals and disregards state oversight. Her office filed a separate legal challenge aimed at reversing the order.
The Energy Department defended its decision. “This administration is committed to ensuring Americans have access to reliable, affordable, and secure energy that isn’t dependent on whether the sun shines or the wind blows,” said DOE spokesperson Ben Dietderich.
Consumers Energy, which received a coal delivery ahead of the originally scheduled shutdown, said it is complying with the emergency directive. It remains uncertain whether the legal challenges will be resolved before the order’s expiration in August. Environmental groups warn the federal government could seek to extend the order, raising the possibility of further court action.
Meanwhile, a similar emergency directive was issued in Pennsylvania, where the Eddystone Generating Station near Philadelphia has been ordered to keep its turbines running amid concerns over electricity supply in the 13-state mid-Atlantic grid. Read Ottawa News Network coverage here.
Comments