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Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open
Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open. Originally published by Mongabay.
By Associated Press · 2026-09-11T23:20:28.447Z
WASHINGTON AP — In a defeat for the Trump administration, a federal court on Friday ruled that the Energy Department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan coal fired power to stay open past its scheduled retirement date last year. Energy Secretary Chris Wright had said the 64 year old J.H. Campbell plant was needed to ensure reliable electricity in the region and used emergency powers https://apnews.com/article/trump coal plant electricity craig 64eab6db7145003c1b7c7bc7584ec7b9 to keep it operating. Environmental groups and three states — Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota — went to court to try to overturn orders keeping the plant online https://apnews.com/article/michigan coal plant challenge trump pennsylvania 9455adc8c48802cc1a1081cb7f89dc83 . The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with the states and the groups, saying there was no real emergency under the law. The section of the Federal Power Act that allows emergency orders “is essentially a narrow, last resort backstop,” Appeals Court Judge Cornelia Pillard wrote for a unanimous three judge panel. By reversing the Campbell plant’s “long and carefully planned retirement … the results are disruptive,” Pillard wrote. There was “no ‘emergency’ within the meaning” of the statute, she added. The Michigan case is one several legal disputes that have emerged across the country as the Trump administration uses emergency powers to force a half dozen coal fired plants https://apnews.com/article/trump climate coal revival 9440fa44ad8f0cce0ef50b22e00cad8e from closing. The orders are raising ratepayer bills, critics say, and adding air and water pollution that could otherwise have been avoided. Keeping the Michigan plant open cost at least $135 million in 2025 alone, officials said. Ted Kelly, U.S. clean energy director at the Environmental Defense Fund, said the court ruling rejected the Trump administration’s nationwide effort to force “unreliable, aging coal plants that are bleeding money and polluting communities to stay online.” The Energy Department’s “unlawful actions attempted to make families and businesses in the Midwest wastefully pay hundreds of millions of dollars for a coal plant that should have been shut down over a year ago,” Kelly said Friday. The Campbell plant and other aging sites are “incredibly expensive, dangerous to our health and break down frequently,” he said. The Energy Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. By Matthew Daly, Associated Press https://apnews.com/article/michigan coal plant trump energy climate a9bc050527d58ed501a5498cbf0411d5 Banner image: J.H. Campbell, a coal burning power plant, operates in West Olive, Mich., Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Julián Trejo Bax, Associated Press