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Support Environmental Justice Priorities
This opportunity will benefit from strength in numbers – fill out this form to call for the inclusion of critical Environmental Justice Priorities.
Add signatureWhen you sign on here, your name will be displayed publicly in support of the Environmental Justice Priorities listed below. We will deliver all signatures to decision-makers to show the mountain of support behind this legislation.
You may sign more than once in different capacities! Please feel free to add any comments in the space provided.
Stronger Still: Improving Upon the Clean Energy Future Plan with MEJC's Justice Considerations
To avert the worst of the climate crisis, we must center the well-being of people. We cannot have a clean energy future that leaves the most vulnerable communities behind. As an ally to the environmental justice community, MiCAN supports the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition (MEJC)'s policy priorities to improve and strengthen the existing Clean Energy Future Plan. See below and check out MEJC's website for more on their topline goals and specific legislation introduced in support of those goals. For further context, please read this letter sent to legislators and officials in the Whitmer administration, where you can also see members of the coalition that support this package.
Environmental Justice Priorities
100% Renewable Portfolio Standard - SB 0271 / HB 4759
- Address significant concerns about using natural gas, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, nuclear power, biomass, waste-to-energy, landfill gas, and biofuels for their dangers to disenfranchised communities.
- Urge the legislature to improve the clean energy standard and amend SB 0271 / HB 4759 to be 100% wind, solar, small-scale hydropower, and geothermal by 2035 and at least 80% renewable by 2030.
Rebates for Battery Storage - SB 0273 / HB 4761
- Create financial incentives for customers who invest in rooftop solar and home batteries. That incentive is doubled for energy-burdened customers with lower incomes.
- Support HB 4839 and HB 4840, establishing rebates for solar and battery storage systems prioritizing low- and middle-income households and require utilities to aggregate these systems into the grid.
Facilitate Community Solar - SB 0152 / SB 0153 / HB 4464
- Require the utility companies to allow community solar projects that will provide solar savings for customers unable to switch to rooftop solar.
- Support SB 0152, SB 0153, and HB 4464, which would facilitate the creation of community solar projects and ensure that benefits are channeled to low-income residents.
Eliminate the Cap - SB 0362 / SB 0363
- Eliminate the 1% cap on solar; restore fair compensation for solar customers.
- Support SB 0362 and SB 0363, removing Michigan's cap on distributed solar generation and implementing net metering.
If you would like to take a closer look at each piece of proposed legislation, follow the links below:
- HB 4839 and HB 4840, which would establish rebates for solar and battery storage systems that prioritize low- and middle-income households and require utilities to aggregate these systems into the grid
- SB 0152, SB 0153, and HB 4464, which would facilitate the creation of community solar projects and ensure that benefits are channeled to low-income residents
- SB 0362 and SB 0363, which would remove Michigan’s cap on distributed solar generation and implement net metering
Climate Justice Agenda
Yes, even more must be done to ensure energy justice and confront false solutions. We must work towards a future where all communities have access to affordable, renewable, and reliable energy and where the current, future, and historic impacts of pollution and climate change are addressed. In solidarity with the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, we urge the legislature to prioritize and introduce additional legislation in support of the following policies as part of a Climate Justice agenda:
- Fair Outage Compensation
- Electricity Affordability
- Campaign Finance Reform
- Cumulative Impact Analysis: Special thanks to US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12-D) for considering cumulative impacts, which are also being weighed at the federal level.
Want to do more? Visit our State Campaigns page for further related actions you can take. In particular, if you haven't yet, sign on to the baseline priorities of the Clean Energy Future Plan to recognize that you support this progress.
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Support the Strongest Energy Bill Package
This opportunity will benefit from strength in numbers – fill out the form on this page to help create the strongest possible energy bill package in Michigan.
Add signatureWhen you sign the petition, your name will be displayed publicly supporting the Clean Energy Future Plan. We will deliver all signatures to decision-makers to show the mountain of support behind this legislation.
You may sign more than once in different capacities, and please feel free to add any comments in the space provided.
Topline Goals of the Clean Energy Future Plan
MiCAN is part of a broad coalition of groups urging the swift passage of three key goals in the Clean Energy Future Plan, a legislative package that will clean the power sector rapidly, affordably, and reliably. Michigan must pass these bills to tackle the climate crisis and ensure reliable, affordable electricity for our state and the benefits of a growing clean energy sector. See below for the topline goals and supporting legislation.
Read this letter sent to officials in the Whitmer administration for more background information and to see coalition members supporting this package.
Clean Energy Future Plan
Clean Energy Standard - SB 0271 / HB 4759
Sets Michigan on the path to reach a renewable energy standard of 60% by 2030 with the ultimate goal of 100% carbon-free power by 2035. Requires MI utilities to include distributed generation programs for solar energy that are easily accessible for low-income communities and communities of color disproportionately impacted by climate change.
- Michigan's prior standard of 15% renewable production no longer reflects the urgency of the climate crisis or our state's significant capacity to transition to clean power (we have long since met that standard).
- Utility promises and renewable incentives are not enough; the standard would establish a binding target.
Energy Waste Reduction - SB 0273 / HB 4761
Updates and expands the energy waste reduction standard for annual savings of at least 2% for electricity and 1.5% for gas. Enables beneficial electrification of buildings and prioritizes the benefits of energy efficiency improvements for low-income communities.
- The cheapest, cleanest form of energy is the energy not used in the first place.
- Energy efficiency and weatherization are also some of the most effective means of ensuring long-term energy affordability for families struggling to pay utility bills.
MPSC Authority Expansion - SB 0272 / HB 4760
Require the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC)-the state agency that regulates investor-owned utilities on behalf of the people of Michigan--consider factors like climate and health impacts, affordability, and equity in its decision-making when utility companies seek new energy projects, rate changes, and more.
- Lack of oversight has contributed to Michiganders experiencing some of the highest utility costs and the lowest service quality anywhere in the country.
- The bill would create opportunities for communities to participate in important MPSC decisions and require the MPSC to listen to their concerns.
If you would like to take a closer look at each piece of proposed legislation, follow the links below:
- Setting a strong clean energy standard: SB 0271 / HB 4759
- Setting cost-effective, energy savings targets: SB 0273 / HB 4761
- Empowering the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC): SB 0272 / HB 4760
- Other bills included in the Clean Energy Future Plan: SB 0274, SB 0275, SB 0276, and SB 0277
Note: MiCAN's position on MPSC Authority Expansion
The Michigan Environmental Protection Act already requires the Michigan Public Service Commission to include climate impacts in state agency decision-making. MiCAN has no objection to the legislature codifying this fact. MiCAN supports this bill because of the inclusion of equity, which is new and important.
Want to do more? Visit our State Campaigns page for further related actions you can take. In particular, please be sure to take the second step of this action in which you can encourage the legislature to complement this package with additional equity considerations.
