Michiganders, get ready for your energy bills to "necessarily skyrocket" as Obama famously stated back when all this clean energy mumbo jumbo was being popularized.
By 2040, the Democrats in Michigan have just mandated that all energy — 100% of energy — must come from "clean" sources.
Unsurprisingly, this bill passed both chambers of the Michigan legislature on party lines. Must be some very popular stuff within the bill.
Let's take a look.
The adjusted timeline requires hitting clean energy targets along the way to 2024 with an 80% clean energy standard by 2035, a renewable standard of 50% of 2030 and 60% by 2035.
"Clean" energy doesn't necessarily have to come from renewable sources, hence the different targets outlined in the legislation. Senate Bill 271 states that clean energy sources generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases. This includes nuclear generation and natural gas generation that can capture 90% of carbon emissions.
A renewable energy source "minimizes the output of toxic material in the conversion of energy," according to the bill, and includes electricity generated by wind, solar and hydroelectric facilities, as well as certain biomass and methane gas products, depending on how they are generated. Energy sources like petroleum, nuclear, coal and industrial waste are not considered renewable.
Again, that's 100% clean by 2040.
It gets worse.
To help achieve clean energy goals, Whitmer also signed legislation giving the Michigan Public Service Commission the power to approve zoning applications for some solar and wind energy projects. Proponents see the shift from local zoning authorities to state regulators as a way to support the construction of energy facilities needed to meet the new clean energy benchmarks. A separate bill in the package approved by Whitmer authorizes solar facilities to be placed on farmland.
So they're essentially bringing in the state zoning authorities to overrule the local ones. And then on top of that they're just gonna throw wind turbines wherever they want, even if it's on your farmland. Boy, they really love their farmers out there in Michigan!
This next part is very telling. The Democrats must see the writing on the wall here in that this 100% clean energy nonsense is going to cause some economic turmoil.
As part of the clean energy package, Whitmer also signed legislation to establish a "community and worker economic transition office" within the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity focused on easing any economic toll stemming from the clean energy transition for workers with jobs tied to fossil fuel energy and internal combustion engine vehicles. The office must submit an economic transition plan to the governor and Legislature by the end of 2025.
Nothing says "this legislation is fine" like signing legislation that eases the economic pain stemming from the initial legislation. Like, if you can already tell that the bill is going to cause problems, you should probably not have signed the bill in the first place. Just sayin'.
Either way, this bill is nonsense and when the tides of the legislature shift in 2024 we will likely see this outrageous law overturned.
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