FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2025
Contact: Nora Naughton, nora.naughton@sierraclub.org
Lansing – The Michigan legislature passed landmark legislation in 2023 that led to Michigan becoming the #1 state in the nation for clean energy investment and job creation. Now, the Michigan House of Representatives are trying to undermine that progress and push Michigan backward.
Proposed by House Reps. Karl Bohnak, R-Deerton, and Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, House Bills 4007 and 4283 attempt to undermine our groundbreaking clean energy package from 2023 by reclassifying fossil-fuel burning RICE gas power plants as “clean” and “renewable energy,” under the guise of lowering utility bills for Upper Peninsula residents.
In reality, efficiency programs and renewable energy are easily the cheapest way to meet electricity demand - but the bill sponsors and their allies pushed deeply misleading projections to fearmonger and mislead legislators and the public.
Multiple false claims, including the lie that two power plants in the UP would have to close prematurely, are completely divorced from reality. Other utilities in the state are considering keeping gas plants online past 2040 while still complying with the law, which provides multiple legal pathways to run existing gas plants to meet electricity demand.
These bills create a carve out for corporate polluters like UMERC who will take advantage of their new loophole to continue pumping greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere and charge Michigan businesses and ratepayers vastly higher rates – all while lying about complying with the clear scientific consensus that demands we cut emissions.
Tim Minotas, Deputy Legislative & Political Director:
“What happened today is irresponsible and short-sighted. We have long known that solar, wind, and energy efficiency are the cheapest forms of energy. Attacking our Clean Energy standards and keeping U.P. residents hooked on dirty fossil-fuel energy sources does not lower anyone’s utility bills. This blow to our clean energy laws could not come at a worse time. Instead of allowing a carve out for a utility to skirt compliance with clean energy goals until 2050, Michigan lawmakers should be coming together to push back on the Trump administration’s attacks on our Great Lakes and clean energy transition, and working with us on policies that actually lower our utility bills.”