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Residents urge county to rescind Campbell coal‑plant delay resolution; others defend continued operation
Summary
Multiple residents urged the board to rescind a Feb. 25 resolution asking the state to delay the retirement of J.H. Campbell, citing high operating costs and emissions; other commenters and some commissioners defended the delay noting grid reliability concerns and local renewable projects.
Several residents used public comment to press the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners on its earlier resolution seeking postponement of the retirement of the J.H. Campbell coal‑fired plant. Gail Burner asked the board to rescind the Feb. 25 resolution, saying Consumers Energy reported the plant costs as "over $615,000 per day" and arguing consumers would bear the costs; she urged the board to allow the plant to retire as planned.
Multiple speakers expanded on the economic and health concerns. Robert Hogeekin and Peter Everts cited NERC and MISO assessments and court filings arguing grid capacity and reliability concerns have been reduced, while Mike Philbin (geology/environmental science professor) stressed health impacts and said the Campbell plant emits "over 9,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year" and contributes to asthma and chronic respiratory harms. In contrast, Christy Moblin argued that recent and proposed local projects — battery energy storage and planned solar acreage — and other generation support maintained the argument for continued scrutiny of the retirement plan.
Why it matters: the board's prior resolution interacts with state and federal actions (DOE/MISO/NERC) that affect whether a large coal unit remains in operation beyond its planned retirement; the public comments reflected strong local concern about both the financial and public‑health consequences of keeping the plant open.
The board did not take a new formal vote on rescinding the earlier resolution at this meeting; rather, multiple residents' comments signaled continued public pressure for the board to revisit the topic.
