The “Save The Campbell” effort thanks and applauds the Board for drafting this excellent resolution:
COUNTY OF OTTAWA STATE OF MICHIGAN RESOLUTION At a regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the County of Ottawa, Michigan, held at the Fillmore Street Complex in the Township of Olive, Michigan, on the 25th of February, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. local time, PRESENT: Commissioners _______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ABSENT: Commissioners________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ It was moved by Commissioner ____________________________ and supported by Commissioner ____________________________that the following Resolution be adopted:
WHEREAS, Consumers Energy (hereafter “Consumers”) operates the J.H. Campbell Plant (hereafter “Campbell Plant”) located in Port Sheldon Township, Ottawa County, Michigan; and,
WHEREAS, the Campbell Plant delivers electricity to Ottawa County, the State of Michigan, and throughout central portions of the United States as an integrated member of the electrical grid system called the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, INC (hereafter “MISO”); and,
WHEREAS, the Michigan Public Service Commission (hereafter “MPSC”) has statutory authority to regulate the Campbell Plant (MCL 460.6); and,
WHEREAS, in 2022, Consumers received approval from the MPSC to cease producing electricity at the Campbell Plant beginning April 1, 2025; and,
WHEREAS, the MPSC decision was based on projected increases in energy production from diverse sources that would offset lost production from the closure of the Campbell Plant; and,
WHEREAS, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (hereafter “NERC”) indicated in its December, 2024 report that out of eleven North American grid networks extending from the Canadian Arctic to the Gulf, the only network receiving a “High Risk” warning for shortfalls in electricity supplies is the MISO grid (NERC, 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment, December 2024); and,
WHEREAS, the NERC report further indicates that the reason for the High Risk warning is that “resource additions are not keeping up with generator retirements and demand growth.”; and,
WHEREAS, Consumers representatives reported to members of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners at the February 11, 2025, Ottawa County Planning and Policy Committee meeting that closure of the Campbell Plant was not originally slated to take place until after the year, 2030; and,
WHEREAS, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners has the authority to “enter or to intervene in any action or certificate proceeding involving the services, charges or rates of any privately owned public utility furnishing services or commodities to rate payers within the County.” (Article VII, Section 15 of the Constitution of the State of Michigan, 1964, as amended);
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners requests that the MPSC consider this resolution as a formal appeal of its decision dated June 22, 2022, authorizing the Campbell Plant to close on May 31, 2025; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in light of the concerns described herein, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners requests that the MPSC postpone this closure until such time as a new hearing can be held before the MPSC to address these concerns and to provide assurances to the citizens of Ottawa County, the State of Michigan, and all members of the MISO grid that based on currently available energy sources, the closure of the Campbell Plant will not have an adverse effect on the reliable delivery of electricity to our respective communities.