Support Strong Energy Bills

To achieve a stable climate, we need to rapidly adopt clean energy. One of the best ways to drive this transition is for states to set strong renewable and efficiency standards.

For two years, the Michigan legislature has been debating what to do about Michigan’s 10% renewable standard that passed in 2008 and plateaued in 2015. Instead of working to increase our state’s standard to 30-40% clean energy, as the Governor recommended, lawmakers were considering rolling back the current standards and sending our state backwards on the path to a clean energy future.

Thanks to the hard work of Michigan’s clean energy advocates, the bills (SB 437 and SB 438) were improved to increase Michigan’s RPS to 15% by 2021, and passed the Senate on November 10. The bills are a step in the right direction, but more should be done to make Michigan a leader on clean energy.

These energy bills will now go to the House of Representatives and we expect them to be taken up in the next week or two.

Now is a critical time to contact your state lawmakers and tell them to support clean energy!

Call your Representative today. Urge them to improve the energy bills and only support legislation that:

• Has a renewable standard of at least 15% by 2021 and an interim standard of at least 12.5% by 2019;
• Restores fair net metering language. This legislation makes it difficult, if not impossible for Michigan residents to lower their electricity bills by generating their own clean, renewable energy through net metering.
• Increases energy efficiency standard to 1.5% per year to require big utility companies to cut energy waste, reduce dangerous pollution, which will save ratepayers money and protect the health of Michigan families, children and seniors.

Click on these links to look up the phone numbers for your Representative.

Background

Michigan became a leader in clean energy investments by passing a renewable energy standard of 10% and energy efficiency improvements of 1% annually in 2008. This standard resulted in more than $10 billion in clean energy investments and 100,000 jobs. However, that standard plateaued in 2015 and has not been updated.

Many other states have surpassed us with stronger renewable and efficiency standards. Iowa and South Dakota already get over 25% of their electricity from wind. 

Not only does increasing investments in renewables reduce climate pollution, it creates new jobs and gives us cleaner air and water. And now that solar and wind are cheaper than dirty fuels, shifting to clean energy keeps electricity rates down.

Last spring, Michigan Climate Action Network members joined with dozens of organizations across the state to work for strong energy bills. We submitted testimony on the Senate bills in May. We also joined a lobby day in Lansing in March, held meetings with lawmakers in their districts in April and in the capitol in May. Now is a critical time for lawmakers to hear from us. Join us in calling on our lawmakers to pass strong clean energy legislation that will boost our state’s shift to clean energy and put us on a path to a more stable climate. Contact your lawmakers today!