Joseph Parnell McCarter, Georgetown Township, volunteer leader of SaveTheCampbell effort.
Your leadership was important towards ultimately getting the Campbell closure delayed by the Trump Administration, and your continued leadership is still important, given Consumers Energy’s determination to pursue its aggressive Net Zero agenda to the detriment of its customers here in West Michigan, despite the temporary pause.
We are asking your Board and the other Ottawa County Township Boards to consider 2 proposed resolutions, which I have distributed to you:
Resolution #1 concludes-
… BE IT RESOLVED, that the ______ Township Board hereby requests that Consumers Energy foregoes seeking cost recovery to keep the J.H. Campbell generating plant operationally available, but instead offsets those costs by reducing its Net Zero expenditures and delaying its Net Zero implementation, as well as seriously exploring providing an AI data center with some of the electric provided by the Campbell, in order that residential electric rates can be reduced.”
Resolution #2 concludes-
… BE IT RESOLVED, that the _____ Township Board hereby joins together with other township boards in Ottawa County in setting up an exploratory committee to investigate acquiring Consumers Energy’s interest in the JH Campbell generating plant, via local electric cooperative(s), financed with the assistance of a data center that would utilize some of the Campbell’s generated electricity and/or Federal Government assistance, and facilitated with the assistance of the Ottawa County Board. It would also investigate the possibility of attaining local control of electric for the parts of Ottawa County currently utilizing Consumers Energy as its electric public utility.
One major rationale for these resolutions is that Consumers Energy monopoly pricing is already outrageous and is becoming more so. Their Net Zero agenda is converting our valuable Michigan farmlands and forests into solar panel fields which do not provide reliable or affordable electric, facilitated by the undermining of local zoning rights by the MPSC
- A few years ago a Zealand BPW study showed Consumers Energy residential rate electric pricing was already 58% higher than Zealand BPW electric pricing.[1] Zealand BPW is the electric cooperative of the City of Zealand.
- A few years ago Consumers Energy introduced very inconvenient 2-tier pricing as part of its Net Zero agenda, in order to decrease electric demand at certain times by charging exorbitant pricing at these times. This had been unnecessary when Consumers Energy utilized gas and coal as baseload rather than trying to add solar and wind as baseload.
- Consumers Energy electric pricing is high relative to nationwide averages.[2]
- There have been a significant series of price hikes by Consumers Energy since the Zealand BPW study,[3] and in recent weeks Consumers Energy proposed the largest price hike in decades.[4] It will likely get a significant portion of this price hike from MPSC,[5] its State of Michigan public utility regulator which has too cozy a relationship with it.[6]
- Consumers Energy also says it will seek cost recovery for its Campbell closure delay. It seeks such cost recovery instead of offsetting its costs with scaling back on its Net Zero agenda and not considering use of the Campbell in part to supply an AI data center with reliable electric so that residential rates can be subsidized.[7]
- Consumers Energy is far in advance in its Net Zero spending of what even Michigan law requires, and has shown no signs of scaling back, despite many reasons to do so.
- Studies indicate Net Zero is more costly than traditional fossil fuel electric generation because the solar and wind that Net Zero generally relies on is variable, and so requires redundant fossil fuel back up, or loadshedding will be necessary.[8]
- Although individual customers under the Consumers Energy monopoly cannot shop around, it is possible per the Michigan Constitution for local governments to step in and introduce a competitive alternative, such as a local electric cooperative that either provides the electric itself or bids it out to other private companies that are expert in the field. Now may be an especially opportune time to explore this possibility given demand by AI data centers for reliable electric and the Trump Administration’s desire for such provision. The Trump Administration and a data center may be willing to help with project financing for a local cooperative buy-out of the Campbell plant and local electric utility assets.
Thanks for considering these resolution proposals.
The Complete Draft Resolutions-
Resolution#1:
“WHEREAS, Consumers Energy has publicly stated it will seek cost recovery to keep the J.H. Campbell generating plant operationally available consistent with the Trump Administration executive order, which would result in customer price hikes on top of already high and escalating energy charges by Consumers Energy; and
WHEREAS, Consumers Energy is spending significant sums of money in achieving the “most aggressive clean energy plans in the nation” towards Net Zero goals, beyond what Michigan law requires; and
WHEREAS, there are significant warning signs of rapid implementation of Net Zero goals, such as manifested in recent nationwide power outages in Spain and Portugal, and excessively high electric rates and a tenuous grid in the United Kingdom; and
WHEREAS, Net Zero goals depend significantly on taxpayer subsidy, but much of that subsidy will likely be reduced or eliminated soon given the new Republican President and Congress; and
WHEREAS, regional grid operator MISO and grid expert NERC have recommended delays in planned fossil fuel plant closures in order to avoid undue risks to the regional electric grid, wherein electric supply cannot meet demand, as even recently occurred on our own regional grid in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, there are justified concerns about converting our valuable Michigan farmlands and forests into solar panel fields, facilitated by the undermining of local zoning rights by the MPSC; and
WHEREAS, there is increasing demand for reliable electric by AI data centers, including location of an AI data center next to an electric generating facility; and
WHEREAS, Michigan law recognizes the important role of municipalities with respect to utility services;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the ______ Township Board hereby requests that Consumers Energy foregoes seeking cost recovery to keep the J.H. Campbell generating plant operationally available, but instead offsets those costs by reducing its Net Zero expenditures and delaying its Net Zero implementation, as well as seriously exploring providing an AI data center with some of the electric provided by the Campbell, in order that residential electric rates can be reduced.”
Resolution#2:
WHEREAS, a 2022 Zealand BPW study showed Consumers Energy residential rate electric pricing was already around 58% higher than Zealand BPW electric pricing.; and
WHEREAS, there have been a significant series of price hikes by Consumers Energy since the Zealand BPW study, and recently Consumers Energy proposed the largest price hike in decades; and
WHEREAS, Consumers Energy says it will seek cost recovery for its Campbell closure delay, which would further hike electric pricing, rather than offsetting this cost by scaling back its Net Zero implementation; and
WHEREAS, Consumers Energy is far in advance in its Net Zero spending and plan of what Michigan law requires, and has shown no signs of scaling back, despite many reasons to do so; and
WHEREAS, studies indicate Net Zero is more costly than traditional fossil fuel electric generation because the solar and wind that Net Zero generally relies on is variable, and so requires redundant fossil fuel back up, given the current state of battery technology; and
WHEREAS, Consumers Energy has thus far been determined to close the JH Campbell generating facility rather than using it in part to provide electric for an AI data center, for which reliable electric is currently in high demand; and
WHEREAS, regional grid operator MISO and grid expert NERC have recommended delays in the currently planned fossil fuel plant closures in order to avoid undue risks to the regional electric grid; and
WHEREAS, three cities in Ottawa County successfully exercise local control over electric rather than utilizing Consumers Energy as their public utility for electric; and
WHEREAS, Michigan law recognizes the important role of municipalities with respect to utility services;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the _____ Township Board hereby joins together with other township boards in Ottawa County in setting up an exploratory committee to investigate acquiring Consumers Energy’s interest in the JH Campbell generating plant, via local electric cooperative(s), financed with the assistance of a data center that would utilize some of the Campbell’s generated electricity and/or Federal Government assistance, and facilitated with the assistance of the Ottawa County Board. It would also investigate the possibility of attaining local control of electric for the parts of Ottawa County currently utilizing Consumers Energy as its electric public utility.
[1] https://zeelandbpw.com/may-3-2022-election/
[2] https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/news/consumers-energy-requests-another-rate-hike-one-week-after-approval-of-154-million-increase
[3] https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/news/consumers-energy-requests-another-rate-hike-one-week-after-approval-of-154-million-increase
[4] https://www.mlive.com/environment/2025/06/consumers-energy-asks-to-raise-electric-rates-436m-the-most-in-decades.html?outputType=amp
[5] https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2025/05/28/trump-consumers-energy-coal-campbell-power-plant-mpsc/83896946007/?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6837314aa9919b00017420cc
[6] https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/21/dte-consumers-mpsc-regulation/71241464007/
[7] https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2025/05/28/trump-consumers-energy-coal-campbell-power-plant-mpsc/83896946007/?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6837314aa9919b00017420cc
[8] https://www.fraserinstitute.org/commentary/solar-and-wind-power-make-electricity-more-expensive-thats-a-fact and https://nypost.com/2025/05/07/opinion/cheap-solar-and-wind-is-a-lie-green-countries-pay-more/