2016 will be a critical year for energy in Michigan. Our clean energy policy sunset at the end of last year, and the Michigan legislature has a true opportunity to set us on a path toward a more affordable energy future by passing performance standards for Michigan utility companies.
Michigan has the highest electricity costs in the Midwest; that hits families’ pocketbooks and makes our businesses less competitive. Every additional dollar spent to keep the lights on means less money spent at local businesses, and less investment in Michigan workers.
Read MoreHowever, the The Michigan Conservative Energy Forum said the rate increase shows the need for increased energy efficiency and reliance on renewables in the energy overhaul the Michigan Legislature is considering.
“Michigan already has the highest electricity costs in the Midwest and this latest rate increase should be a call to action for the Michigan Legislature to rein in costs through energy efficiency and renewable energy goals,” Larry Ward, executive director of MCEF, said in a statement. “Now is the time for conservatives to lead by requiring the utilities to reduce energy waste and purchase low-cost renewable energy.”
Read MoreThe holidays are quickly approaching and both adults and children are getting in the spirit, hoping that wishes large and small come true this season.
As chief executive officer of Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa, I will be hoping for a package of a different size and scope under the tree — a package of pro-business, pro-renewable energy legislation signed, sealed and delivered on both a state and national level. Countless businesses, like mine, stand to benefit from policies that contribute to the falling prices of renewable energy.
The U.S. House of Representatives is currently considering legislation that would extend the Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit for renewable energy products. The decision to do so could build on the tremendous success the policies have had nationwide. A five-year extension of the ITC alone would lead to 32 percent more solar deployment from 2016-2022. The growth would have a tremendous impact on jobs in Michigan, creating 31 percent more yearly employment opportunities. Alternately, if Congress fails to extend the ITC, solar deployment alone will drop 28 percent from 2016-17.
Read MoreThe Michigan Conservative Energy Forum said in a statement that the rate increase drove home a need for increased energy efficiency and renewables in an energy overhaul the legislature is considering.
"Michigan already has the highest electricity costs in the Midwest and this latest rate increase should be a call to action for the Michigan Legislature to rein in costs through energy efficiency and renewable energy goals," said Larry Ward, executive director of MCEF. "Now is the time for conservatives to lead by requiring the utilities to reduce energy waste and purchase low-cost renewable energy."
Read MoreThe Michigan Conservative Energy Forum, a Republican-led group pushing for more clean energy development in the state, earlier this year pegged total investment at $2.2 billion and supporting 6,000 jobs. The group issued a report in 2014 saying that a renewable portfolio of 20 percent by 2025 would result in a total output of over $6.5 billion, support more than 41,000 job years and create $2.11 billion in employee compensation.
Read MoreLarry Ward, executive director of the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum, agrees. He said independent producers in Michigan are already getting “squeezed out” of their Power Purchase Agreements with utilities.
“These businesses are the job-creating ones,” Ward said of independent producers. “Competition has to come from somewhere.”
Read More“Regardless of the Clean Power Plan, we need to move forward on Michigan’s energy future and laws that pertain to it,” said Larry Ward, executive director of the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum.
The MCEF has lobbied in support of expanding Michigan’s renewable production and energy efficiency as part of an “all-of-the-above” energy policy.
Ward said Michigan’s energy policy as it relates to federal compliance is on two tracks — a legal one and a legislative one. His group is “following the track of the governor right now” and is not weighing in “one way or the other” on the legality of the Clean Power Plan.
Read More