Court Strikes Down Trump Order to Keep an Aging Coal-Burning Plant Running

A federal appeals court on Friday struck down an order from the Trump administration that forced a coal plant in Michigan to stay open past its scheduled retirement date — dealing a blow to President Trump’s efforts to promote the coal industry.

For more than a year, the Energy Department has ordered the J.H. Campbell coal plant in West Olive, Michigan, to keep running despite its plans to close in May 2025, citing an “energy emergency.”

On Friday, a three-judge panel at the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the administration overstepped in its use of emergency powers.

The Michigan plant is one of several coal plants that the Energy Department has forced to stay open using emergency orders under a provision of the Federal Power Act. The provision had been used by previous administrations for only a few days at a time during extreme weather events.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/climate/coal-plant-michigan-court.html