GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — A federal directive requiring a 63-year-old Michigan coal plant to remain online has cost Midwest ratepayers about $113 million so far, according to estimates from regulators and the facility’s operator. Despite those costs, the U.S. Energy Department last week ordered the J.H. Campbell coal plant to stay open for another 90 days.
The Trump administration first intervened in May, directing Consumers Energy to halt the retirement of the plant, located roughly 100 miles northeast of Chicago. The decision has drawn objections from environmental groups and consumer advocates who argue the facility is outdated, expensive, and a major source of toxic air emissions. Campbell is part of the regional MISO grid, meaning households across multiple Midwestern states are absorbing the costs.
Consumers Energy CEO Gary Rochow told investors in October that federal officials instructed the utility to pass expenses directly to ratepayers. Regulatory filings show the mandate has cost customers roughly $615,000 per day for six months. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has called the federal order “arbitrary and illegal,” filing a motion to pause it in court.
The Trump administration has used its national energy emergency authority to keep multiple coal and gas plants online, though the MISO grid reported surplus capacity throughout the summer. Advocates say that data undermines federal claims that reliability concerns justified the order.
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