Michigan order signals next stage of Energy Department's coal support
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The Energy Department's order to keep a Michigan coal plant running this summer is short in duration but could signal bigger battles to come.
State of play: Secretary Chris Wright on Friday demanded that Midwest grid operators and utility Consumers Energy keep the J.H. Campbell plant online until at least Aug. 21.
- It had been slated to retire May 31. Wright's order using emergency authorities cites "insufficiency of dispatchable capacity and anticipated demand during the summer months."
- Wright's separate statement says it ensures regional residents "do not lose critical power generation capability as summer begins" and demand gets high.
The other side: Michigan's top utility regulator called it unnecessary given the state's "robust" planning and excess production, and said it will raise costs.
- "There is no existing energy emergency in either Michigan or MISO," said Dan Scripps, chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission.
- Public Citizen's Tyson Slocum said he's unaware of these Federal Power Act emergency authorities — specifically Section 202(c) — being used to extend the life of a soon-to-retire plant.
"Neither MISO nor Consumers [Energy] initiated the request. This is Trump abusing emergency authorities to play politics," Slocum, head of the advocacy group's energy program, said via email.
What we're watching: Other Trump 2.0 moves to slow coal's ongoing decline in the U.S. power mix.
- Wright, in a statement, called the order part of broader policies to ensure reliable and affordable power.
Go deeper: Power markets expert Travis Kavulla dives into the complex backstory of the Michigan plant's planned retirement.
