The J.H. Campbell plant will remain open for another 90 days, thanks to the Trump Administration’s pro-active decision to protect families and businesses in the mid-west energy grid.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued an emergency order to keep the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant open in Ottawa County, Michigan until November 19, 2025.

This is the second emergency order, extending the first one put in place earlier this year to protect Michigan’s energy grid.

Democrats and climate activists criticized the order calling it “expensive” and “unnecessary.” The political Left and climate alarmists have pushed for years to eliminate reliable, base load energy sources like the J.H. Campbell plant. They advocate for what’s called “intermittent power” in the form of:

  • Solar
  • Wind
  • Battery

Power companies in Michigan are required by bad laws and policies passed by the Democrats and supported by Governor Gretchen Whitmer “to achieve 100% economy-wide carbon neutrality” and stop “climate change” and push for “equity and environmental justice.”

Max Gen Warnings

In July 2025, there were Max Gen Events in the MISO power grid, which means the grid was unable to produce enough energy to meet increasing demands, and margins were so low it generated an emergency warning. Thankfully, because the Trump Administration had ordered the J.H. Campbell power plant to stay online this summer, Michigan and the surrounding region did not experience widespread blackouts.

Is Equity & Environmental Justice Sound Energy Policy?

If the State eliminates reliable base load energy sources like coal and nuclear power plants, the forced shift to depend on solar, wind, and battery will contribute to higher risk of losing power when demand is high. It should be noted that the Democrat’s rush to push their “environmental justice” agenda is based in left-wing climate ideology, not sound energy policy.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy released Seven Principles of Sound Energy Policy that should guide the development of energy policies across the nation:

  1. Energy is an essential aspect of human flourishing.
  2. All energy sources have an environmental impact.
  3. In energy production, scale is king.
  4. Energy must be reliable to be truly effective.
  5. Changing our energy systems takes time.
  6. Energy must be affordable to be useful.
  7. Energy subsidies harm more than they help.

It is good the Trump Administration is prioritizing energy reliability, when Governor Whitmer and the Michigan Democrats are working overtime to shut down coal-fired power plants. It is right to protect the highest risk energy grid in the nation by continuing the emergency order. This protects families, ministries, businesses, and industries.

Thanks for Bold Action by Trump Administration

Michigan listen to the critics and climate alarmists on the Left. They will continue to obfuscate the issues and try to confuse people by claiming coal-fired power plants are dangerous, harmful, and expensive. Yet, the decision to keep the J.H. Campbell open embraces reality and puts America first. Coal provides consistent, dispatchable power that so-called renewable energy can’t match.

Thank you, Secretary Wright and President Trump. Your bold action reaffirms America’s strength and your commitment to prioritize American families, instead of bending to climate ideology. Thank you for prioritizing reliable base load energy in Ottawa County!