Contact: Nora Naughton, nora.naughton@sierraclub.org
Lansing, Mich. – Sierra Club and climate activists across Michigan have demanded an environmental champion for the latest appointment to the Michigan Public Service Commission. Today, Gov. Whitmer appointed Shaquila Myers, who most recently served as a senior advisor to the Governor’s office.
Myers replaces Alessandra Carreon, whose short, two year term was marked by her commitment to representing frontline communities and making the clean energy transition affordable and inclusive for all Michiganders.
Sierra Club had endorsed Carreon for a second term on the MPSC. She will instead serve as Chief Climate Officer for the Department of Great Lakes, Energy, and Environment, the Governor announced today. We look forward to engaging with her in her new role.
Appointments to the MPSC last six years, far beyond Gov. Whitmer’s time in office. This critical regulatory body makes decisions about our state’s energy future, including how we build out clean energy, improve utility reliability, and keep energy bills affordable.
We expect Myers to stand up to the corporate interests as the commission leads our clean energy transition. If for-profit utilities like DTE and Consumers Energy are not held to account, ratepayers could remain dependent on expensive and unreliable energy systems like coal, gas, and other fossil fuels for years to come. That would mean higher bills, more blackouts, damage to climate progress, and serious harm to already vulnerable communities.
In this pivotal moment for Michigan’s clean energy future, Sierra Club urges Commissioner Myers and the rest of the MPSC to stand up to the corporate interests that threaten our progress.
Tim Minotas, Deputy Legislative & Political Director
“The stakes during Commissioner Myers’s term could not be higher. In the face of a worsening climate crisis, the Commission's decisions will either protect communities or lock us into decades of fossil fuel dependence.
We will be watching closely to see how the commission shapes our state’s responses to extreme weather, integrating renewable energy, protecting ratepayers, and holding our utilities accountable. We expect Commissioner Myers to champion critical environmental issues and put the voices of everyday Michiganders ahead of powerful interests.”