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UPDATE: Friday, December 16 at 6am - Thanks to in part to your input and emails, clean energy bills were passed with requested improvements! More details coming soon.
To achieve a stable climate, we need to adopt clean energy rapidly. One of the best ways to drive this transition is for states to set strong renewable and efficiency standards. Our legislators need your encouragement to do the right thing. Today is the final day to act!
Legislators Need Your Input Now
Thanks to efforts of Michigan's clean energy advocates, bills that raise Michigan's renewable standard to 15% finally passed the Senate in November. However, the bills (SB 437-438) have some serious problems - including adding fees that could kill net metering - making it very hard for Michiganders to generate their own clean, renewable energy.
It is reported that the House will vote on these bills this week (by December 15). What happens now will impact our energy decisions for years to come!
Click to Email Michigan Representatives Today
Feel free to customize the email with your words, or just click Send Email to urge three of the key legislators in the Michigan House of Representatives to protect net metering in Michigan and make other important changes to support clean energy. These changes include:
- Restoring fair net metering language so Michigan residents can lower their electricity bills by generating their own clean, renewable energy and get a fair price for that energy.
- Increasing energy efficiency standard to 1.5% per year to require big utility companies to cut energy waste and reduce dangerous pollution. This increased standard will save ratepayers money and protect the health of Michigan families, children, and seniors.
- Restoring the 50/50 split so that 50 percent of renewable energy be generated by independent power producers, which encourages competition and keeps energy prices lower.
- Keeping a renewable standard of at least 15% by 2021 and an interim standard of at least 12.5% by 2019
If you wish to do even more, look up your representative's phone number here and make a personal call urging them to take action in improving these energy bills for the benefit of Michigan's residents, businesses, and the climate.
Background
Scientific research tells us that to preserve a stable climate; we need to rapidly transition off of fossil fuels. There is a global movement responding to this reality, with nearly 200 nations coming together last year in a historic climate agreement pledging to transition to clean energy. One important way to drive this transformation is through renewable standards.
For two years, the Michigan legislature has been debating whether to increase or roll back our state’s 10% renewable and 1% annual efficiency standards, which plateaued in 2015. Not only did this standard reduce climate pollution, but it also reduced pollution-related health impacts and deaths, and resulted in more than $10 billion in clean energy investments and 100,000 jobs.
In November, after years of work by clean energy advocates in Lansing, the Senate passed bills that would make a modest increase in the renewable standards to 15% by 2021 (with an interim goal of 12.5% by 2019). It is not as much as we need, but it is a step forward. However, these bills (SB 437 and SB 438) also have some serious problems that need to be fixed.
The State House is now taking up the bills and plans to vote before their session ends on December 15. Now is a critical time to contact House members and urge them to support clean energy. Use our email form to contact House leaders today!