Federal court blocks Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open

On September 11, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously blocked a Trump administration order forcing the J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan to stay open past its planned May 2025 retirement. The court ruled that the Department of Energy exceeded its authority under the Federal Power Act. The legal challenge, led by Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, and environmental groups, highlights a broader conflict over federal efforts to prop up aging coal plants nationwide, which critics argue has cost ratepayers over $259 million.

Federal court ruling

• ▪The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the federal government should only intervene in power generation management when states and grid operators are unable or unwilling to respond
• ▪U.S. Appeals Court Judge Cornelia Pillard wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel that the Federal Power Act's emergency provision is a narrow, last-resort backstop and that no legal emergency existed to justify keeping the plant open
• ▪On September 11, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously ruled that the U.S. Department of Energy exceeded its statutory authority by ordering a Michigan coal plant to remain open

Michigan coal plant closure

• ▪Consumers Energy spokesperson Brian Wheeler stated on September 11, 2026, that the utility is reviewing the court ruling but will continue to comply with the current 90-day Department of Energy order while it does so
• ▪Keeping the J.H. Campbell Generating Plant operating past its planned May 2025 retirement has cost between $259 million and $295 million, according to financial filings and the Michigan attorney general's office
• ▪The 64-year-old J.H. Campbell Generating Plant in West Olive, Michigan, owned by utility Consumers Energy, was scheduled to close in May 2025 as part of a transition to cleaner energy

Trump emergency power use

• ▪The U.S. Department of Energy defended its actions on September 11, 2026, asserting that its emergency orders prevented blackouts and likely saved hundreds of lives during peak capacity events over the past year
• ▪U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright invoked emergency powers under the Federal Power Act to keep the J.H. Campbell Generating Plant operating, warning of potential summer electricity shortages and blackouts in the Midwest
• ▪The Trump administration has repeatedly renewed its emergency orders governing the J.H. Campbell Generating Plant in 90-day increments since the initial order in May 2025

State legal challenge

• ▪Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel stated that the Department of Energy used an illegal, unprecedented tactic to prop up the aging J.H. Campbell coal plant and stick ratepayers with the bill
• ▪The legal challenge against the federal emergency orders was brought by the attorneys general of Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota, alongside a coalition of environmental groups

Nationwide coal plant orders

• ▪Critics and environmental groups argue that the Trump administration's emergency orders to keep aging coal plants open raise ratepayer bills and increase air and water pollution
• ▪The Trump administration has used emergency powers under the Federal Power Act to force approximately half a dozen aging coal-fired plants across the United States to remain online, including facilities in Indiana, Colorado, Florida, and Washington state