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Local activists urge county to seek delay of Campbell power-plant closure
Summary
An online commenter and local volunteer requested the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners pass a resolution urging delay of Consumers Energy’s planned 2025 closure of the Campbell Electric Generating Plant, citing grid reliability and local economic impacts; the board did not take action at the meeting.
An online public commenter asked the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners to pass a resolution requesting delay of the planned 2025 closure of the Campbell Electric Generating Plant, saying regional grid operator warnings and local impacts justify county action.
Joseph Parnell McCarter, who identified himself as a volunteer leader with a local campaign, told the board that the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) had identified risks if regional retirements proceed as scheduled and said Consumers Energy and the Michigan Public Service Commission have authority to delay the closure. "Our electric grid operator, MISO, has indicated the current plan of Consumers Energy and Michigan Public Service Commission to close and demolish the Campbell in 2025 ... places our electric grid in grave danger," McCarter said. He said three township boards in Ottawa County already have passed resolutions requesting delay and urged the county board to act quickly; he also suggested the county could investigate joining Wolverine Power in litigation if the state regulator declines to delay the closure.
Mr. McCarter asked the board to consider job, tax-revenue and reliability impacts of the closure and to make a public statement requesting delay. The board did not adopt a resolution or take formal action on the request during this meeting; commissioners did not indicate a vote on the item. The concern was recorded during the online public-comment period and may appear on a future agenda for board consideration.
The speaker referenced Consumers Energy, MISO and the Michigan Public Service Commission as the entities with authority or technical role in the plant’s retirement plan, and he recommended legal review and potential litigation if regulators do not delay the closure.
No county policy or expenditure was approved on this topic at the organizational meeting.
