“Michigan must be in the fight to maintain self-determination in where our power comes from,” said Nessel. “The closure of this coal-powered electric plant has been planned for years, the utility made all due preparations to maintain our energy load without it, and the closure has been agreed to and cited in settlements affecting customer costs.

“In particular, if this arbitrary and unlawful order is allowed to stand, the only effect Michiganders will feel will be the pinch in their pockets. The costs of maintaining production at the plant, long since prepared for closure, could be an enormous burden on the rate-paying customers of Consumers Energy. And that’s before taking into account the environmental and public health costs of continuing to fuel a coal-powered plant.”

The retirement of the Campbell Plant, originally built in the 1960s, has been the matter of extensive planning and analysis by state regulators and the broader inter-state power grid. This has included the procurement of replacement power resources, and the planning for future resources, to more than account for the removal of the Campbell Plant. In fact, the retirement was initially sought by Consumers Energy in its June 30, 2021 integrated resource plan application.  Parties in that case, including the Attorney General, signed a settlement that included the retirement of the Campbell Plant and the settlement was approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission in June of 2022. The retirement of the Campbell Plant and its replacement with more cost-effective resources were elements of a carefully considered plan that was expected to save Michigan ratepayers nearly $600 million.

“This unprecedented Order of the Department of Energy declares an emergency without evidence, completely ignores state and federal regulators that approved the plants retirement, and will potentially put enormous costs onto utility customers who receive no real benefit,” Nessel continued. “As I have done throughout my years in office, today we’re fighting for affordable utility bills and the rights of Michiganders to clean up their energy production.”

The Department of Energy’s May 23, 2025, Order to cancel the Campbell retirement disregards all prior planning and regulatory approvals, in yet another example of the Trump administration arbitrarily declaring a false emergency as a pretext for advancing its policy agenda by means outside its normal authority.  The Order states that the plant will continue to run through August, though it is possible the DOE could issue another order at that point extending again the plant’s producing lifetime.  Never before has the DOE delayed the retirement of a power plant absent a request from the operating utility or local governmental body, and only ever in response to concrete, particularized emergencies, and subject to limitations to ensure that the order extends no further than necessary to address the emergency at hand.

The Attorney General’s request for rehearing challenges the DOE’s Order on its inability to show an actual emergency, as well as for several other violations of the DOE’s authority under the Federal Power Act, which grants the DOE’s emergency powers. The Attorney General’s challenges include that the Order as issued exceeds the authority granted to the DOE, and that the DOE failed to take required steps to limit the amount of operation to only when necessary and to minimize environmental impacts.

Under the Federal Power Act, the Department of Energy has 30 days to respond to the Attorney General’s request.

Michigan will receive up to $154 million

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today announced that all 55 attorneys general, representing all eligible states and U.S. territories, have agreed to sign on to a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family. The Sackler family has also informed the attorneys general of its plan to proceed with the settlement, which would resolve litigation against Purdue and the Sacklers for their role in creating and worsening the opioid crisis across the country. Now that the state sign-on period has concluded, local governments across the country will be asked to join the settlement, contingent on bankruptcy court proceedings.

“After years of settlement negotiations, this agreement finally ensures Purdue is held responsible for its role in fueling the opioid epidemic,” Nessel said. “No amount of money can undo the harm caused, but we are already seeing funds from other settlements make a real difference in prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. I was proud to work alongside my colleagues to secure this resolution and am confident that these dollars will help communities across Michigan combat this crisis.”

Under the Sacklers’ ownership, Purdue made and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, fueling the largest drug crisis in the nation’s history. The settlement ends the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and their ability to sell opioids in the United States. Communities across the country will directly receive funds over the next 15 years to support addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery. This settlement in principle is the nation’s largest settlement to date with the individuals responsible for the opioid crisis. Michigan’s state and local governments will receive as much as $154 million from this settlement over the next 15 years.

Most of the settlement funds will be distributed in the first three years. The Sacklers will pay $1.5 billion, and Purdue will pay roughly $900 million in the first payment, followed by $500 million after one year, an additional $500 million after two years, and $400 million after three years.

Like prior opioid settlements, the settlement with Purdue and the Sacklers will involve resolution of legal claims by state and local governments. The local government sign-on and voting solicitation process for this settlement moving forward will be contingent on bankruptcy court approval. A hearing is scheduled on that matter in the coming days.

Since taking office in 2019, Attorney General Nessel has focused intently on combatting the opioid epidemic and holding accountable those responsible for creating and fueling the crisis, resulting in over $1.6 billion dollars to Michigan governments through settlements with McKinsey & Co, Distributors (Cardinal Health, McKesson, Inc., and AmerisourceBergen), Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical, Allergan Pharmaceutical, CVS, Walmart, and Walgreens. The money is distributed to the state and local units of government for Opioid-use disorder treatment and remediation.

Analysis of provisional data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) indicates a 34% reduction in overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024 – about 1,000 fewer deaths. This continued progress reflects the impact of sustained, strategic investment in prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm-reduction efforts – many of which are made possible through additional funding received as a result of Michigan’s participation in the national opioid settlements.

Attorney General Dana Nessel is joined in securing this settlement in principle by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawai’i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Wisconsin.