The Trump administration halted a plan to shutter the aging Consumers Energy JH Campbell Coal Plant in West Michigan on May 31, 2025.
The aging plant, with its old units constructed in 1962, 1967 and 1980, was scheduled to close after a several year process settled by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) in 2022.
The administration issued the order without consulting with Consumers Energy, failing to consider that Consumers had already invested in energy sources that would replace the retired Campbell coal plant. This includes a handful of renewable solar and battery storage projects. The utility has also purchased a large gas plant that can be activated quickly during peak energy times and has committed to constructing 8,000 MW of solar capacity by the year 2040.
Bringing the plant back online could cost Consumers upwards of $100 million according to Dan Scripps, MPSC chair. This estimate includes Consumers’ need to purchase more coal, bring back workers, repair old units that had been limping along to the planned close date, and cancel planned clean-up efforts at the site of the plant.
Who will pay these costs? You and me – the ratepayers!
The Campbell Coal Plant is one of the dirtiest plants left in the Midwest. The plant releases 16% of the state's total energy sector carbon emissions. Annually, this coal plant is linked to 44 premature deaths and 455 asthma attacks.
Take action: Tell Consumers Energy and the MI Public Service Commission to challenge the Trump Administration’s illegal order and examine the continued cost of keeping the aging coal plant running.