After Trump order, who will pay to keep Michigan coal plant on life support?

Updated: May. 30, 2025, 9:53 a.m.|Published: May. 29, 2025, 6:00 a.m.

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By Lucas Smolcic Larson | lsmolciclarson@mlive.com

OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - Train cars full of coal on last-minute order from Wyoming. Dozens of employees abruptly reassigned from new posts. Big maintenance tasks once canceled now back on the docket.

As Consumers Energy suddenly hits the brakes on closing its J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant under an emergency order from the Trump administration, days before it was meant to go dark for good, the utility will undoubtedly run up a hefty bill, according to advocates, energy experts and state regulators in Michigan.

Read more: Trump officials order Michigan coal power plant must stay open on eve of shutdown

While the details still remain unclear, utility customers will ultimately be the ones to pay it, they say. … “This just simply is a terrible development for people’s wallets,” said Shannon Fisk, an attorney with Earthjustice who has worked to push utilities away from coal and toward cleaner and cheaper sources of power.

The U.S. Department of Energy issued the temporary 90-day order under the authority of Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Friday, May 23. … In a statement, a spokesperson for the department reiterated arguments laid out in the order that prolonging Campbell’s lifespan is important for reliability but didn’t address the question of cost.

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