--- title: "Court Overturns Trump Order on Michigan Coal Plant" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/court-overturns-trump-order-on-michigan-coal-plant" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/court-overturns-trump-order-on-michigan-coal-plant" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/court-overturns-trump-order-on-michigan-coal-plant.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/court-overturns-trump-order-on-michigan-coal-plant" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-11T18:46:17.467Z" source_reported: "2026-09-11T17:49:44.000Z" updated: "2026-09-11T18:46:17.467Z" trust_score: 50 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 40 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-11T19:30:30.850610+00:00" --- # Court Overturns Trump Order on Michigan Coal Plant *Federal appeals court rules Energy Department overstepped authority in keeping the JH Campbell plant open.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 50 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named bodies, but relies on anonymous sourcing for some details. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. Reports include quotes from affected parties and explain the background and implications of the ruling. - Hype 40 of 100, lower is better. Headlines use strong language like 'VICTORY' and 'Knocks Down' but the body is factual. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A federal appeals court has overturned a Trump administration order that kept the JH Campbell coal plant in Michigan open. - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled the Energy Department exceeded its legal authority. - The ruling applies to one of six emergency orders issued to keep the plant operating past its May 2025 retirement date. - Keeping the plant open has cost approximately $259 million so far. A federal appeals court has thrown out a Trump administration order that kept Michigan’s JH Campbell coal plant open. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the Energy Department had overstepped its legal authority by invoking emergency powers. Environmental groups and three states, Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota, had sued the administration over the orders. The ruling applies to one of six emergency orders issued by Energy Secretary Chris Wright since May 2025 to keep the plant open in 90-day increments. Consumers Energy, the plant's operator, stated it would continue to comply with the current order while reviewing the court's decision. Keeping the plant open beyond its scheduled May 2025 retirement has incurred costs of approximately $259 million to date. ## Disagreement on the nature of the emergency Bridge Michigan reported that Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard wrote that the administration failed to justify the use of emergency intervention, stating that "the mere possibility of an electricity supply shortfall, with no specifics about its potential severity, timing, location, or likelihood, does not warrant an emergency federal response." Washington Top News quoted Pillard stating there was "no ‘emergency’ within the meaning" of the statute and that reversing the plant's retirement "are disruptive." ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated reports mention the cost estimate of $259 million that keeping the plant open has incurred so far. None of the right-rated reports mention the specific states, Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota, that sued the Trump administration. ## Who covered it Shares of the 29 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 55% (16) - Centre: 35% (10) - Right: 10% (3) 2 of 31 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-11T19:30:30.850610+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-11T20:30:11.632Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Reports from the left led with the court's rejection of the Trump administration's order. Electrek's headline stated the court "blocks Trump from forcing open a dead coal plant that no one wants open." Alternet reported that "Trump loses bid to keep old coal plant open." Bridge Michigan highlighted that the ruling "strikes Trump order that forced Michigan coal plant to stay open" and noted that keeping the plant open had cost $259 million, contrasting with expected savings from its closure. The left-rated reports quoted environmental groups, including Ted Kelly of the Environmental Defense Fund, who said the Department of Energy's "unlawful actions attempted to make families and businesses in the Midwest wastefully pay hundreds of millions of dollars for a coal plant that should have been shut down over a year ago." ### Centre - The centre-rated reports focused on the federal court's rejection of the Energy Department's authority. Washington Top News reported that a "Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open." The Economic Times and POWER Magazine also used similar headlines. These reports noted that Energy Secretary Chris Wright had used emergency powers to keep the 64-year-old JH Campbell Generating Plant operating, citing the need for reliable electricity. They also mentioned the cost of keeping the plant open, stating it was about $259 million so far and likely to be paid by families and businesses. ### Right - The right-rated reports focused on the court's rejection of the Energy Department's claim of "emergency" authority. Reason's headline stated the "DC Circuit Rejects Energy Department's Claim of 'Emergency' Authority to Order Coal Plant to Remain Open." The Times of India and The Herald Palladium reported that a "US federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open," with The Herald Palladium including that Energy Secretary Chris Wright had said the 64-year-old JH Campbell plant was needed. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 3 - high: 21 - unknown: 4 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Bridge Michigan](https://bridgemi.com/michigan-environment-watch/court-strikes-trump-order-that-forced-michigan-coal-plant-to-stay-open) — Court strikes Trump order that forced Michigan coal plant to stay open - [BizToc](https://biztoc.com/x/7086c25fc3d2138d) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [Electrek](https://electrek.co/2026/09/11/court-blocks-trump-from-reopening-broken-coal-plant-that-no-one-wants-open) — Court blocks Trump from forcing open a dead coal plant that no one wants open - [Reason](https://reason.com/volokh/2026/09/11/dc-circuit-rejects-energy-departments-claim-of-emergency-authority-to-order-coal-plant-to-remain-open) — DC Circuit Rejects Energy Department's Claim of "Emergency" Authority to Order Coal Plant to Remain Open - [Alternet](https://alternet.org/trump-coal-plant) — Trump loses bid to keep old coal plant open - [Times of India](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/us-federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open/articleshow/134080672.cms) — US Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [The Economic Times](https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/world-news/us-federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open/articleshow/134080672.cms) — US Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [Washington Top News](https://wtop.com/national/2026/09/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open – WTOP News - [The Record](https://troyrecord.com/2026/09/11/trump-coal-plant-michigan) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [Michigan Advance](https://michiganadvance.com/2026/09/11/federal-appeals-court-vacates-trump-order-extending-operations-for-a-west-michigan-coal-plant) — Federal appeals court vacates Trump order extending operations for a west Michigan coal plant - [POWER Magazine](https://powermag.com/court-rules-against-trump-order-to-keep-michigan-coal-fired-plant-operating) — Court Rules Against Trump Order to Keep Michigan Coal-Fired Plant Operating - [WBAL](https://wbal.com/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open/article_0581f2c1-2b00-53fe-a1e2-575d72ddf3ba.html) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/business/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/energy-department-washington-michigan-trump-minnesota-b3048820.html) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/energy-department-washington-michigan-trump-minnesota-b3048820.html) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [Ottumwa Courier](https://ottumwacourier.com/news/national_news/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open/article_efd2f2d2-36bd-5458-9263-24e8a1b21baf.html) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [The Herald Palladium](https://heraldpalladium.com/news/state/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open/article_4089ccad-9d7b-5813-b221-8bddeb3b223d.html) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [WPLG](https://local10.com/news/national/2026/09/11/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [WKMG](https://clickorlando.com/news/national/2026/09/11/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [Bangor Daily News](https://bangordailynews.com/2026/09/11/nation/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [WSLS](https://wsls.com/news/national/2026/09/11/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [abc News](https://abcnews.com/Business/wireStory/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-136371165) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [Clean Technica](https://cleantechnica.com/2026/09/11/victory-court-rules-against-trumps-michigan-coal-bailout) — VICTORY: Court Rules Against Trump’s Michigan Coal Bailout - CleanTechnica - [ecotopical.com](https://ecotopical.com/cleantechnica/459808/victory-court-rules-against-trumps-michigan-coal-bailout) — VICTORY: Court Rules Against Trump’s Michigan Coal Bailout - [washingtonsun.com](https://washingtonsun.com/energy/judge-knocks-down-trumps-order-michigan-coal-plant-open) — Judge Knocks Down Trump’s Order to Keep a Michigan Coal Plant Open - [Michigan Public](https://michiganpublic.org/environment-climate-change/2026-09-11/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [The Record](https://therecord.com/business/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open/article_19acced8-3f7b-5567-95d0-2bfe002718ef.html) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [NiagaraFallsReview.ca](https://niagarafallsreview.ca/business/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open/article_ba33beb6-e06d-514a-b7c9-a5c853418a29.html) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open - [Utility Dive](https://utilitydive.com/news/appeals-court-vacates-doe-emergency-order-michigan-power-plant/830189) — Court rejects DOE ‘emergency’ order delaying coal plant retirement as overstep - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/greenpage/2026/09/11/federal-court-rejects-trump-order-keeping-michigan-coal-plant-open) — Federal court rejects Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant open ## Questions **What did the court rule regarding the Michigan coal plant?** A federal appeals court ruled that the Energy Department exceeded its legal authority when it issued an order to keep the JH Campbell coal plant in Michigan open past its scheduled retirement date. The court found that the administration had overstepped its powers by invoking emergency provisions. **How much has keeping the coal plant open cost?** Keeping the JH Campbell coal plant open beyond its planned May 2025 retirement date has cost approximately $259 million so far. This figure was reported by outlets that covered the court's decision. **Who sued the Trump administration over the order?** Environmental groups and three states, Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota, filed lawsuits against the Trump administration challenging the orders to keep the JH Campbell coal plant operational. They argued the administration had no legal basis for these emergency directives. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/court-overturns-trump-order-on-michigan-coal-plant. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Court Overturns Trump Order on Michigan Coal Plant", https://mediabias.news/politics/court-overturns-trump-order-on-michigan-coal-plant