Subject: An Important Week for the “Save The Campbell” Effort / A Special Request To County, Township and City Board Members
Dear Board Member:
We are thankful to the many political leaders and to God for the way things are coming together in the “Save The Campbell” effort. This week especially brought important developments:
· Georgetown Township and Grand Haven Township boards passed resolutions to delay the closure of the Campbell. They joined Jamestown, Blendon, Zeeland Township, Polkton, and Chester Townships. These municipalities are geographically spread out across Ottawa County, including both suburban and rural areas, as well as the County’s largest municipality. The board votes were unanimous or near unanimous. There is good reason to believe more boards will join in. They reflect how an overwhelming majority of County citizens want closure delay.
· Most local political leaders representing Ottawa County in Lansing and Washington are now on board with Campbell closure delay (representatives Meerman, Victory, Huizenga, etc.)
· The Ottawa County Board’s Planning & Policy Committee had the Campbell issue on this week’s agenda. I recommend people listen to the Board’s excellent questions of Consumers Energy (see https://savethecampbell.com/we-are-thankful-the-county-board-is-deliberating-the-campbell-issue-and-asking-good-questions-of-consumers-energy/ ), which Consumers Energy representatives were flat-footed in answering. The Consumers Energy plan ignores the warnings and recommendations of the two preeminent experts of our regional grid: grid operator MISO and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. It seems the County Board will place this issue on the regular Board agenda of 2/25/2025, and hopefully pass a resolution requesting closure delay.
· These developments received helpful public attention via local news outlets like Holland Sentinel, Mlive, etc. For example, see https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/12/pleas-to-save-the-campbell-continue-from-ottawa-county-board/78413591007/ and https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2025/02/ottawa-county-leaders-question-upcoming-closure-of-coal-fired-power-plant.html&subscribed=auth0%7C65cd871699687a8454f919ae .
· The Trump Administration established a new National Energy Dominance Council to execute its national energy emergency plan, which includes delaying the closure of coal plants and producing new electric generating capacity to fuel AI data computing centers for the new economy.
We are now coming to a point when important decisions need to be made by Ottawa County regarding our County’s electric energy direction and future, and it is important that the political leaders of our townships and cities- along with the County overall- are at the forefront of that decision-making. The fact that three cities in the County have municipalized electric (Zeeland, Holland, and Grand Haven), and that so many townships without municipalized electric weighed in with a Campbell resolution, reflect the fact that you see the need for township/city voice on this topic. The Michigan Constitution gives local municipalities the power of that voice and decision, to the extent they choose to avail of it. It even gives the County an ability to decide whether Consumers Energy does business in the County long-term.
I have proposed a draft plan of action at https://savethecampbell.com/steps-in-the-plan-to-save-the-campbell/ for discussion purposes that is fully consistent with the Trump Administration’s national energy emergency program. I would appreciate your feedback and discussion, as we need to pursue a course that is realistic practically and politically. The fact that Consumers Energy has us on an unrealistic energy plan that endangers our grid, and that its residential customers pay 58% more for electric than Zeeland residents on municipalized electric, while its executives and other investors are handsomely rewarded, should be a wake-up call to all of us that significant changes are needed.
Thanks so much for your consideration of this important topic!
Sincerely,
Joseph Parnell McCarter
Volunteer and leader, SaveTheCampbell.com
Georgetown Township, MI
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