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 MoreThe Michigan Conservative Energy Forum spoke to the University’s chapter of College Republicans on Thursday about energy policy and its relationship with bipartisanship.
The event, held in the Michigan Union, focused on the activities of the MCEF, which was formed in 2013 in response to the impending expiration of a number of energy bills
Read MoreGovernor Snyder and the Michigan Legislature are currently debating the state’s future energy policy. How electricity is generated, transmitted and distributed is important to every mid-Michigan resident – because one thing we all have in common, is that we all use energy.
Recognizing the importance of this debate, I released a white paper for the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum entitled Improving Michigan’s Electric Utility Industry. Groups on all sides of the current energy policy debate have been able to use some of the ideas in the paper and I would like to clarify them. Considering that the state is likely to continue operating in a regulated market for the immediate future, our elected officials need to at least establish incentives for electric utilities that will improve efficiency in the market and keep costs down.
Read MoreWind on the Wires’ Executive Director Beth Soholt moderated a roundtable discussion on October 8 that highlighted the new report “A wind vision for new growth in Michigan” at Macomb Community College, where students are learning skills that will help them obtain good-paying jobs in the renewable energy industry across the region.
Read MoreGreen Tea Party has a certain ring to it, but Michigan Conservative Energy Forum Executive Director Larry Ward said it was sort of a misnomer for what's going on in Michigan.
Ward's group advocates for renewable energy based on jobs and economic grounds. It's definitely not the global warming perspective green groups come from, but on issues like renewable energy or the net metering package, they end up aligning.
Read MoreBrion Dickens, Oliver Township planning commission chair, joined a panel with Larry Ward, director of Michigan Conservative Energy Forum; Scott Viciana, vice president of Ventower, a Monroe-based wind turbine fabricator and supplier; and Ken Weller, operations manager at EDF Renewables.
Read MoreMichigan's regulated electric utility market can be significantly improved. An open market should be the goal, but it will require overcoming significant political and economic hurdles. In the meantime, lawmakers should enact legislation that creates incentives for utilities, consumers and entrepreneurs aligned with goals to use less energy, lower costs and transitions the state toward generation from cleaner sources and more efficient sources, including renewables.
Read MoreA retired vice admiral in the U.S. Navy — who is now an adviser on a board that studies pressing issues to the country’s national security — says Michigan is a leading example of how energy independence will be crucial for adapting to the threats of climate change.
Read MoreLansing – Leadership Council members of the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum (MCEF) all had the following supportive statements to make about Governor Snyder’s Clean Power Plan announcement:
Read More