Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open
A federal court ruled that the U.S. Department of Energy exceeded its authority by using emergency powers to keep the JH Campbell coal plant in Michigan operating past its scheduled retirement. The court determined that no genuine emergency existed to justify the order, siding with environmental groups and three states that challenged the decision. This ruling is part of a broader legal battle against the Trump administration's efforts to extend the life of several aging coal-fired power plants across the country.
- ▪The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously ruled that the Department of Energy's emergency order to keep the JH Campbell plant open was unlawful.
- ▪Energy Secretary Chris Wright had invoked emergency powers to prevent the 64-year-old plant from retiring, citing regional electricity reliability concerns.
- ▪Keeping the Michigan plant open beyond its May 2025 retirement date has resulted in approximately $259 million in costs, which critics argue are being passed on to Midwest ratepayers.
- ▪The court decision is one of several legal disputes arising from the administration's use of emergency powers to keep coal plants in Indiana, Colorado, Florida, and Washington state operational.
2 outlets in our directory ran this story. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: lean left. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — World |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/11/federal-court-rejects-trump-michigan-coal-plant |
| Publication time | Fri, 11 Sep 2026 19:10:31 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-11T19:23:35.369Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-11T19:23:35.369Z |
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The JH Campbell Generating complex is seen in Ottawa county, Michigan, on 21 September 2024. Photograph: Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette/APView image in fullscreenThe JH Campbell Generating complex is seen in Ottawa county, Michigan, on 21 September 2024. Photograph: Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette/APMichiganFederal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant openA federal court is declaring that the energy department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan power plant to stay open past its scheduled retirement dateAssociated PressFri 11 Sep 2026 15.10 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleIn 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 plant to stay open…
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