This past week in Michigan a newly formed group, the Clean Affordable Renewable Energy for Michigan Coalition (CARE), launched a fully loaded opposition against a new ballot initiative calling for more clean energy. Despite the group’s dubious name, CARE is fighting against increasing state-imposed clean energy requirements, saying the mandate will cost $10 billion to implement.
25×25, as the initiative is known, will require the state’s energy supply to be 25% green by 2025. The organization responsible for 25×25, Michigan Energy, Michigan Jobs, as well as local businesses and nonprofit environmental groups, argue that not only will costs to customers be relatively low (about $1.25 per household per month), but also that it will attract $10 billion of investment to the state and spur local job growth.
People like Adam Stranton, the vice president of solar panel manufacturer Power Panel, support the initiative because they believe Michigan, with the right incentives, can become an industry leader. “Michigan can be a global leader in clean energy manufacturing, but we have to start with the way we power our own homes and businesses,” Stranton said. Michigan’s location on the shores of the Great Lakes also makes it a prime spot for the wind industry to set up shop.
Though DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, the state’s two biggest utility companies who also happen to be bankrolling CARE, are both investing in the clean energy necessary to meet the state’s current goal – 10% green by 2015 –they are reluctant to spend more money to meet the 25×25 requirements.
“Our position is that the current standard is reasonable. It’s affordable for customers,” Consumers Energy spokesman Jeff Holyfield said last week. “Let’s meet that mark and determine what’s the best course after that.”
DTE Energy and Consumer Energy’s support for CARE is not limited to financial backing — a recent report on ThinkProgress.org noted that CARE’s Treasurer is also the new Chief Accounting Officer of DTE Energy and the organization and the company even share a legal filing address. CARE also has support from Michigan and Detroit Regional Chambers and former chief justice of Michigan’s Supreme Court, Conrad Mallet. According to Mallett, the initiative to change the state’s energy policy by amending the state’s constitution is misguided.
“Our constitution is designed to establish basic rights, not to set detailed energy policy,’ Mallett said. “Those decisions should be made by the state Legislature after detailed studies are conducted.”
Michigan Energy, Michigan Jobs will need to collect more than 322,000 signatures to put the measure to a vote in November. Expect a well-funded battle against it to continue its offensive until then.
Main image credit: Brian Robert Marshall