Last year, Michigan regulators were working to shut down a coal plant in Ottawa County. The plan was set to save ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars in the following years.
But one week before the plant was set to close, the Trump administration stepped in with an emergency order to keep it running.
Now, as The ’Gander’s Kyle Kaminski reports, Consumers Energy says keeping the coal plant alive has already cost $180 million—with Michigan residents expected to help foot the bill. Keep reading for the details.
Then, a look inside Michigan’s most exclusive political conference, where corporate sponsors and lobbyists are paying thousands for face time with lawmakers.
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‘Mop Up Michigan’ submits over 562K signatures (Michigan Advance): Organizers behind the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics campaign say they submitted more than 562,000 signatures to place a November ballot proposal before voters that would ban political donations from utilities and major state contractors.
Right to Life lawsuit dismissed (MLive): A federal appeals court has upheld Michigan’s constitutional right to reproductive freedom, rejecting a lawsuit from anti-abortion groups and Republican lawmakers seeking to overturn Proposal 3. The Sixth Circuit ruled the plaintiffs lacked legal standing.
Whistleblower claims Perry Johnson campaign falsified petitions (The Detroit News): A consultant for Republican gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson alleged the campaign improperly added required disclaimers to thousands of signed petition forms after voters had already signed them. Johnson denied knowledge of the alleged actions, while election lawyers said the claims could amount to serious election fraud if proven.
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Join COURIER and 3.14 Action on June 11 for Facts vs. Fiction: The Fight for Science in American Democracy.
Misinformation isn’t just noise. It’s shaping policy decisions that determine who can afford care, which communities are protected, and how our government responds to real-world risks.
This live conversation will examine what’s at stake when facts are ignored and how science-informed leadership has shaped policy on healthcare, climate, agriculture, and public health. At a moment when institutions and public trust are under attack, we’ll explore what happens when decision-making is driven by evidence, what it takes to rebuild trust, and why scientific integrity is essential to democracy.
Stay tuned for more speaker announcements, and don’t miss this conversation.
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There’s a coal plant in Michigan that the Trump administration is refusing to put out of its misery, and Michiganders are footing a $180 million bill because of it.
Here’s the deal: The J.H. Campbell Power Plant in Ottawa County was supposed to go dark at the end of May 2025. Michigan regulators approved the closure. The regional grid operator signed off. Consumers Energy bought a replacement gas plant and started building new solar panels. The plan was expected to save ratepayers $600 million by 2040. Then, one week before the lights went out for good, Trump’s energy secretary issued an emergency order forcing the plant to stay open, citing a power shortage that grid operators say doesn’t actually exist. That was one year ago. Since then, the order has been renewed four more times, keeping Campbell burning coal through Aug. 16. And in the meantime, the bill keeps climbing. Consumers Energy says keeping the plant operational has cost them $180 million over the last 10 months—losses they plan to push on to ratepayers across 11 states, including Michigan. If you’re doing the math, that’s about $575,000 every single day.
And here’s the kicker: Earlier this month, for the first time, a federal appeals court actually heard arguments challenging whether any of this is even legal. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel went before a three-judge panel and argued that Trump’s energy secretary has been abusing a 91-year-old emergency law, one that’s supposed to be used during hurricanes and winter storms, not to prop up a coal plant indefinitely because the White House likes coal. Legal experts say a decision could come later this year. Whatever the judges decide won’t just affect Campbell; it could determine whether the Trump administration can keep doing this to other coal plants across the country.
And the cracks are starting to show on all sides. Nessel has been calling this what it is—A Weekend at Bernie’s situation, where the Trump administration keeps propping up a dead coal plant and pretending it’s alive. Even some Republicans are getting fed up with Trump’s “energy emergency” justification.
So what? Well, here’s the math: Michigan had a plan to save ratepayers $600 million. Instead, we’re $180 million in the hole and the meter’s still running. But for the first time in a year, there’s a federal court paying attention. And the judges who heard arguments last week didn’t sound too convinced by the Trump administration’s case.
See more from Kyle in this week’s “so what, Michigan?”
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Gary Bauer, former candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, poses outside the Grand Hotel on Sept. 18, 1999, on Mackinac Island. Bauer, who stepped down as head of the ultra-conservative Family Research Council to launch his presidential bid, addressed the Michigan Republican Party’s Mackinac Leadership Conference. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)
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By Kristine Gill
When Michigan politicians ferried from the mainland to Mackinac Island for the annual three-day Mackinac Policy Conference this week, they were surrounded by corporate sponsors and lobbyists all vying for their attention.
The Mackinac Policy Conference is sold as Michigan’s marquee ideas summit. But it’s also one of the state’s most influential access events, where corporate sponsors, lobbyists, and lawmakers mingle in a setting built around private conversations, high-dollar tickets, and hard-to-track influence.
Amazon, Google and Meta are sponsors, as are lobby firm Clark Hill Public Strategies, DTE, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Dow, and Enbridge, among others.
Representatives from those sponsors, from the fields of banking to data centers to utility providers, will be staying in hotels on the island, having paid anywhere from $3,500 to $5,200 for tickets to this elite event that essentially gathers Michigan politicians—who attend for free—and offers unprecedented access to them.
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By Abby Deatrick
As June begins and the weather warms up, it’s a great time to get involved in political action across the state. This week offers opportunities to meet or volunteer for Michigan’s US Senate candidates, attend block parties focused on rising utility costs, join volunteer orientations to learn how to take action this summer, and more.
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📅 Saturday (May 30)
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan: Ferndale Pride-Volunteer Tabling (Ferndale, 9:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.) — Volunteer with Planned Parenthood at Pride in Ferndale by helping staff a booth that shares resources on healthcare services and advocacy.
Coalition to Shut the Camps: Shut the Romulus ICE Detention Center (Romulus, 3-6 p.m.) — Join the effort to stop the ICE detention facility in Romulus.
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📣 Have an event to add? Email Abigail Deatrick, The ’Gander’s state organizing coordinator, with details. Please send submissions at least one week before the event.
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