Trump administration extends order keeping Michigan coal online past closure date

WEST OLIVE, Michigan (AP) — The Trump administration is once again extended life This is the case of a coal-fired power plant in Michigan that was expected to close last May as Consumers Energy switched to cleaner electricity sources.

The US Department of Energy said there were “emergency conditions” requiring the JH Campbell power plant to remain open to meet electricity demand in the central US. Otherwise, the government warned on Tuesday that homes and businesses could be plunged into darkness.

Critics scoff at that claim, and environmental groups and Michigan’s attorney general have gone to court to test it. canceling orders that keep the plant running.

“The cost of unnecessarily running this dilapidated coal plant continues to rise,” said Earthjustice attorney Michael Lenoff.

The Campbell plant opened in 1962 near Lake Michigan in western Michigan’s Ottawa County. It can produce up to 1,450 megawatts of electricity, which can serve 1 million people.

Consumers Energy planned to close the plant on May 31, but the Department of Energy ordered it to remain open for three months, citing the need for reliable electricity during the hot summer months.

This decision was later extended twice and the final decision will be valid until February 17.

Consumers Energy acknowledged in a statement Wednesday that it would continue to operate the plant. Net expense through September was pegged at $80 million, which would be shared by customers who are part of a multi-state power grid, the utility said in an October securities filing.

Michigan utility regulators criticized the May decision to keep Campbell open but declined to comment on the latest extension.