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Public commenters urge board to intervene as Consumers Energy plans Campbell plant closure
Summary
Multiple residents and a community campaign urged the commissioners to use legal or federal options to delay the May closure of the J.H. Campbell generating plant, citing grid reliability concerns and economic impacts; commissioners agreed to add follow-up discussion to a committee agenda.
A steady stream of public commenters told the Board of Commissioners March 25 that the planned May closure of Consumers Energy’s J.H. Campbell power plant poses reliability and economic risks for Ottawa County.
Joseph Parnell McCarter (speaker 10), a volunteer with the "Save the Campbell" effort, said the company and state regulators have signaled an intent to close units in May and urged the board to use the county’s legal authority — including the Michigan Constitution (Art. 7, Sec. 15) — to intervene. "The Ottawa County Board has the constitutional authority to intervene regarding the Campbell," McCarter told commissioners during the first public-comment block.
Commissioner Joe Moss (speaker 8) and others said the board had consulted grid experts and NERC/MISO assessments that indicate Lower Michigan, including parts of MISO, faces elevated capacity risk. "Once you decrease capacity and demand increases, recovering can take years," Moss summarized after the public comments. The board agreed to add a follow-up discussion of the Campbell plant to the planning committee agenda to gather additional information and possible next steps.
Speakers emphasized a mix of public-safety, economic and fiscal concerns — from possible rolling blackouts to impacts on school-district revenues and dredging budgets — and asked the board to consider legal, regulatory and federal engagement options.
