Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open
A federal court ruled the Trump administration had no real emergency to justify keeping a Michigan coal plant running past its retirement date, striking down an order that cost the public hundreds of thousands of dollars a day.
A federal court in Washington, D.C. has struck down a Trump administration order that kept Michigan's J.H. Campbell coal plant running past its scheduled retirement date. The U.S. Circuit Court ruled the Department of Energy improperly invoked emergency powers under the Federal Power Act, finding no genuine energy emergency justified keeping the plant online.
The Sierra Club and Earthjustice had challenged the May 2025 order, arguing it exceeded the administration's emergency authority. According to the groups, keeping the plant running cost regional families roughly $600,000 a day, and similar emergency orders issued nationwide have cost Americans more than $546 million in total so far.
Environmental groups say the ruling blocks a pattern of using emergency powers to delay retiring aging coal plants, which they argue keeps cleaner alternatives off the grid while extending public health harms nearby. Sierra Club's chief appellate counsel said the administration "has been pulling out all the stops" to prop up fossil fuels at taxpayer expense. The decision signals judicial skepticism toward similar emergency extensions elsewhere.
Based on reporting for CleanTechnica. Read the original: https://cleantechnica.com/2026/09/11/victory-court-rules-against-trumps-michigan-coal-bailout/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
