US court rejects Trump’s emergency order keeping Michigan coal plant open

The ruling says the Energy Department exceeded its authority by extending the plant’s operation.

The J.H. Campbell coal-burning power plant in West Olive, Michigan [File: Julian Trejo Bax/AP]

A federal appeals court has ruled that the United States Energy Department exceeded its authority when it ordered a coal-fired power plant in the US state of Michigan to remain open beyond its planned retirement, dealing a setback to the Trump administration’s effort to keep ageing coal facilities operating.

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously on Friday that there was no emergency under federal law that justified keeping the 64-year-old JH Campbell Generating Plant online. Energy Secretary Chris Wright invoked emergency powers last year, arguing that the plant was needed to maintain reliable electricity in the region.

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President Donald Trump declared a national energy emergency in an executive order in January last year, citing demand increases from artificial intelligence and data centre growth.

Judge Cornelia Pillard, writing for the three-judge panel, said the emergency provision of the Federal Power Act was intended as a “narrow, last-resort backstop.” She said the authority could be used only when immediate action was required, and states or utilities could not address the problem themselves.

Pillard also described the reversal of the plant’s “long and carefully planned retirement” as “disruptive”.

The plant, operated by Consumers Energy, had been scheduled to close in May 2025, but the company has continued operations under energy department orders. That has cost about $259m, according to financial filings, with opponents warning that the expense could ultimately fall on families and businesses in midwestern US states.

The company told The Associated Press it was reviewing the court ruling.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, whose office joined counterparts in Illinois and Minnesota in challenging the orders, welcomed the ruling. She said the appeals court had “thrown out DOE’s order that had zero basis in reality”.

The Energy Department defended its use of emergency powers, saying the orders helped prevent blackouts and “likely saved hundreds of lives” during periods of peak demand, particularly during severe winter storms in late January and early February.

The department said that during the winter storm peak, coal generation in affected areas increased by 25 percent compared to the previous year.

The Michigan case is one of several legal disputes that have emerged across the country. Secretary Wright issued another emergency order, just hours after the ruling, to a coal plant in Centralia, Washington, to remain in operation. Similar orders have been issued for plants in Indiana, Colorado and Florida, as well as an oil and gas plant in Pennsylvania.

裁决称，能源部延长该工厂的运营期限，属于越权行为。

位于密歇根州西奥利弗的 JH Campbell 燃煤发电厂 [图片：Julian Trejo Bax/AP]

联邦上诉法院裁定，美国能源部下令密歇根州一座燃煤发电厂在计划退役后继续运营，此举超越了其权限，这对特朗普政府维持老旧燃煤设施运营的努力造成了挫折。

美国哥伦比亚特区巡回上诉法院周五一致裁定，联邦法律并未规定存在紧急情况，因此无需维持已有64年历史的JH Campbell发电厂继续运行。能源部长克里斯·赖特去年援引紧急权力，声称该电厂对于维持该地区可靠的电力供应至关重要。

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去年1月，唐纳德·特朗普总统签署行政命令，宣布国家进入能源紧急状态，理由是人工智能和数据中心的发展导致能源需求增加。

科妮莉亚·皮拉德法官代表三名法官组成的合议庭撰写意见书，指出《联邦电力法》​​中的紧急条款旨在作为“一项范围狭窄、最后的保障措施”。她表示，只有在需要立即采取行动，且各州或公用事业公司无法自行解决问题的情况下，才能动用这项权力。

皮拉德还形容该工厂“经过长期精心计划的退役”计划被逆转是“具有破坏性的”。

这家由消费者能源公司运营的电厂原计划于2025年5月关闭，但该公司根据能源部的命令继续运营。财务文件显示，这已耗资约2.59亿美元，反对者警告称，这笔费用最终可能会转嫁到美国中西部各州的家庭和企业身上。

该公司告诉美联社，他们正在审查法院的裁决。

密歇根州民主党籍总检察长达娜·内塞尔(Dana Nessel)对这一裁决表示欢迎。她的办公室与伊利诺伊州和明尼苏达州的同行一起对这些命令提出质疑。她说，上诉法院“驳回了能源部毫无事实依据的命令”。

能源部为其使用紧急权力辩护，称这些命令有助于防止停电，并在用电高峰期，尤其是在 1 月下旬和 2 月初的严重冬季风暴期间，“可能挽救了数百人的生命”。

该部门表示，在冬季风暴高峰期，受灾地区的煤炭发电量比上一年增加了 25%。

密歇根州的这起案件是全国各地涌现的多起法律纠纷之一。就在裁决公布数小时后，赖特部长又发布了一项紧急命令，要求华盛顿州森特勒利亚的一家燃煤电厂继续运营。类似的命令也已下达给印第安纳州、科罗拉多州和佛罗里达州的电厂，以及宾夕法尼亚州的一家油气厂。