Court Overturns Trump‑Era Coal Bailout, Upholds Closure of Michigan’s J.H. Campbell Plant

A U. S. District Court in Washington, D. C. today reversed a Department of Energy emergency order that had blocked the shutdown of the J. H. Campbell coal‑fired power plant in Michigan. The order, issued by the Trump administration in May 2025, had overridden the state’s and the utility’s decision to close the plant. The Sierra Club, which challenged the order, won the case, allowing the plant to shut down as originally planned. The ruling confirms that federal agencies cannot unilaterally keep a coal plant operating against state and local decisions. With the plant’s closure now legally secured, the plant’s emissions will cease, and the region moves closer to meeting its climate‑related energy goals.