Federal court rejects Trump administration order keeping Michigan coal plant open
PBS News Hour – Politics — 2026-09-11 18:02:00 — www.pbs.org
President Trump Cited “National Energy Emergency” to Justify Keeping Aging Coal Plants Open, Court Finds No Real Emergency
A federal court has dealt a significant blow to the Trump administration’s energy policy, ruling that the Department of Energy (DOE) overstepped its authority when it forced a Michigan coal-fired power plant to remain open past its planned retirement. President Donald Trump had declared a national energy emergency in January 2025, citing increased electricity demand from artificial intelligence and data center growth as justification for emergency orders that kept multiple aging coal plants operating across the country.
Court Rejects Trump’s Emergency Justification
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously found that there was “no real emergency under the law” to justify the DOE’s actions. The court emphasized that the relevant section of the Federal Power Act is intended as a “narrow, last-resort backstop,” only to be used when immediate, last-resort action is required and when states cannot address the situation themselves.
The court described the reversal of the Campbell plant’s “long and carefully planned retirement” as “disruptive,” directly contradicting the Trump administration’s claims of urgent necessity.
Critics Call Trump’s Move a “Political Stunt”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and other critics labeled the administration’s emergency orders as an “unlawful political stunt,” arguing that Trump’s declaration of a national energy emergency was a manufactured crisis. Nessel stated, “this administration does not get to invent fake emergencies to bypass the rule of law against the best interests of Michigan residents.”
Financial and Environmental Costs
The court’s decision comes after the Trump administration’s orders kept not only the Michigan plant but also coal plants in Indiana, Colorado, Florida, and Washington state running, despite their scheduled closures. Critics say these orders have raised utility bills and increased air and water pollution that could have been avoided. Keeping the Michigan plant open past its May 2025 retirement has already cost about $259 million, a burden likely to fall on families and businesses in the Midwest.
Environmental groups argue that the administration’s actions forced “unreliable, aging coal plants that are bleeding money and polluting communities to stay online,” and that these plants are “incredibly expensive, dangerous to our health and break down frequently.”
Conclusion
President Trump’s use of emergency powers to keep coal plants operating has been sharply rebuked by the federal courts, which found no legal basis for the claimed emergency. The ruling highlights the administration’s pattern of exaggerating threats to justify controversial policy decisions, resulting in higher costs and increased pollution for American communities. As legal challenges continue, the court’s decision sends a clear message about the limits of executive authority and the importance of adhering to the rule of law.