Court Rejects Trump Coal Plant Order

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Energy Department exceeded its emergency authority by ordering Michigan’s J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant to remain open despite no demonstrated imminent threat to the power grid. The court held that Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act permits such intervention only during a genuine emergency and does not allow the federal government to override established utility and state planning processes to delay market-driven plant retirements. Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois, along with environmental groups, challenged the order, arguing that continued operation of the aging plant was unlawful. The ruling is a setback for current President Donald Trump’s administration and could affect similar orders involving coal plants in other states.