Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel has thrown her weight behind a group of nine attorneys general pushing back against a Department of Energy report that suggests the U.S. electric grid could be in jeopardy without outdated coal plants. According to a release on the Michigan government's official site, Nessel called into question the stoic intentions of the DOE's July report, which follows President Donald Trump's executive order and cautions against the scheduled retirement of coal and natural gas plants by 2030 for grid reliability concerns.
The assembled attorneys general, including Nessel, put forward a Request for Rehearing, challenging not just the content but the consequences of the report. They believe it could prematurely justify renewal of emergency orders to keep aging coal-powered plants operational—like Michigan's J.H. Campbell plant, which Nessel is currently contesting in federal court. The report is viewed as flawed due to its assumptions on electric grid reliability and its vague definition of what constitutes an "emergency" under the Federal Power Act. It is a view that suggests an impetus perhaps not entirely rooted in the public interest.
What the DOE report potentially sets up is a conflict between federal and state authority on energy affairs. The attorneys general argue it intrudes on states' rights and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's jurisdiction to regulate local electricity sources. The report's findings could be instrumental in maintaining coal plants not just in Michigan but nationwide, which the coalition warns conflicts with individual state policies focused on energy progress and sustainability.
