“We're on shaky ground, as we continue to shut power plants down before we have other things up and running.”
State Representative Luke Meerman supports the federal government’s recent filing of its fifth emergency extension keeping the J. H. Campbell plant open.
The Coopersville Republican warns closure could trigger severe regional blackouts.
“It was bad timing to shut it down. And then the Trump administration agreed with us. I think back to last summer. It was instrumental in keeping our grid stable, as well as the cold snap in February. “
Consumers Energy reports losing roughly $600,000 per day and seeks to pass those losses onto ratepayers.
Meerman counters that state mandates to replace coal with expensive new infrastructure will drive up electric bills even faster, and Michigan already has one of highest energy prices nationally.
"The people who can least afford it are the ones that are affected the most. If you're making a minimum wage and your electric bill goes up 20%, that makes a difference to you.”
Meerman says plant closure plans failed to account for manufacturing reshoring and data centers that may require 20% more power in the next decade.
Ratepayers also funded major upgrades to a power plant built to operate through 2045.
“So that's not keeping an aging power plant on. It's utilizing the money that we, the ratepayers, spent.”
The current emergency order expires in August.
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