WEST OLIVE, Mich. — Following President Donald Trump's executive order that halted the closure of the J.H. Campbell power plant, a local advocacy group is calling on Ottawa County to take control of the facility and create its own energy board.
The plant, originally scheduled to close in May, remains operational after the presidential directive. Current owner Consumers Energy has warned that keeping the plant open will likely result in higher utility bills for residents.
WATCH: Ottawa County group pushes for local control of J.H. Campbell power plant
Joseph Parnell McCarter, volunteer leader of the group "Save the Campbell," believes there's a way to keep the plant open without raising costs for consumers.
"Consumers Energy is very aggressive in terms of the net zero agenda, and so their strategy is to build more battery plants, solar fields," McCarter said. "Those plans, which I think is an economic mistake, a mistake for our grid, and even an environmental mistake."
McCarter is urging Ottawa County commissioners to pass a resolution requiring Consumers Energy to scale back its renewable energy efforts and explore contracts with AI data centers to keep the plant financially viable.
If Consumers Energy doesn't comply, McCarter suggests the county should consider taking control of the plant and establishing a countywide energy board.
"Our goal is to have a locally controlled electric that provides reliable, cost effective and environmentally responsible electric for us," McCarter explained.
County commissioners are divided on the proposal. Commissioner Joe Moss expressed support for exploring the idea.
"I definitely support an exploratory committee and I support the county being involved in general with that process," Moss said.
However, Commissioner Doug Zylstra, who voted against the original resolution to keep the plant open, opposes the new plan.
"I voted against the first resolution… I would also not be in favor of the Ottawa County board being involved in purchasing an aging coal plant," Zylstra said.
Zylstra questioned the economic viability of the proposal.
"The cost of production is the cost of production, and I think there are good reasons why consumers' energy is transitioning away from the Campbell plant," Zylstra said.
Despite acknowledging the challenges of creating a county-wide cooperative, Moss believes the board should examine the proposal.
"I think the board should definitely discuss it there have been ongoing discussions at the county level about the Campbell plant and energy policy in general," Moss said.
The county board has not announced whether it will formally consider the issue, though Zylstra indicated it could appear on a future agenda.
"The first resolution came fairly quickly, so it could happen that we take that up," Zylstra said.
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