LANSING – Larry Ward, executive director of the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum (MCEF), issued the following statement regarding Gov. Rick Snyder’s energy announcement:

“Today, Gov. Snyder laid the groundwork for a clean energy future in Michigan that will turn conservative principles into energy policy that creates jobs, sparks new businesses and saves Michigan families and businesses money. We applaud Snyder for seizing this opportunity and setting bold and measurable goals for increasing our use of clean energy—including a target of 30-40 percent clean energy over the next ten years.”

Michigan’s current energy policy is set to expire this year and we need strong leadership to build upon the success we’ve seen in Michigan’s thriving clean energy sector.”

Recent studies by The Hill Group, Inc. found tremendous opportunity to spur economic growth and support Michigan jobs by increasing our use of energy efficiency and renewable energy. Key findings include:

• Implementing a 20% renewable energy standard by 2025 could have a $6 billion impact, with 40,000 jobs created.
• Removing the cap on the energy optimization program could create $22 billion in economic output and support 163,000 jobs.