Catch the latest energy news from around the region. Check back for these bimonthly Energy News Roundups.
The Trump administration is keeping a Michigan coal plant open even longer past its planned retirement. The 63-year-old J.H. Campbell coal plant in the far western part of the state, near Lake Michigan, was supposed to close for good at the end of May. But the U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order extending its life by 90 days. Hours before that order expired, energy secretary Chris Wright issued another order that requires the plant to continue operating until Nov. 19. Regulators had already approved the plant’s retirement, but Wright called its electricity production “a critical asset” for preventing blackouts through the rest of the summer.
Days earlier, federal regulators approved a request from Consumers Energy, the Campbell plant’s owner, to spread the cost of keeping the plant open across 10 states besides Michigan. The utility asked to have the cost shared by more ratepayers in part because the Trump Administration order cited concerns about grid reliability across the region — not just in Michigan. Consumers Energy said previously that the plant cost $29 million to keep operational for the first five weeks.
A General Motors electric vehicle factory in Detroit is partially shutting down for the next month. The automaker said it’s partly closing the Factory Zero manufacturing plant to align with “market dynamics,” according to a statement emailed to The Detroit Free Press. The temporary shift shutdowns will impact about 360 employees who work on the GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Escalade IQ. They’re expected to end in early October.
Judges weighed in late last month on separate battles over coal ash in Indiana and Ohio that have each dragged on for years. In Indiana, an appeals court reversed a decision by state utility regulators to let Duke Energy raise rates for complying with coal ash rules. The case concerns changes to state law made after the same court blocked earlier cost recovery attempts. In Ohio’s case, a federal judge upheld a 2022 Environmental Protection Agency decision not to give a major coal plant more time to comply with coal ash rules.
And young people in Wisconsin are suing over state laws they say are worsening the climate crisis. The 15 Wisconsin youth, aged 8 to 17, said climate change is negatively impacting their lives and harming their health. Attorneys for a pair of environmental groups filed the suit on their behalf against state regulators and lawmakers, challenging laws they say block regulators from using pollution as a basis for denying permits to new power plants and limiting the amount of renewable power that electric providers are required to supply.
More energy news, in case you missed it:
- The city of Cleveland and surrounding counties are seeking public input on a regional climate action plan.
- Nippon Steel plans to reline a coal-fueled blast furnace as part of a more than $3 billion investment in the Gary, Indiana U.S. Steel facility it acquired in June.
- Michigan’s Palisades nuclear plant is back in to “operating status,” a first in the U.S. for a decommissioning plant, as it nears a planned reopening.
- Insurance industry officials blamed inflation and climate change — including risks posed by severe storms — for soaring homeowners insurance rates in Illinois.
- Rooftop solar panel contractors in Michigan say they’re working nonstop to complete installations before federal tax credits disappear.
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
EV maker Rivian sues Ohio, claims state unfairly favors Tesla
Michigan’s historic nuclear plant restart still a go, federal regulators say
Featured image: Coal plants are usually near water, and the leftover coal ash can leach into groundwater affecting drinking water for nearby residents. (Photo Credit: Great Lakes Now)
