Michigan GOP Push to Classify U.P. Gas Generators as Clean Energy

Michigan GOP Pushes to Redefine Natural Gas Generators as Clean Energy

A legislative push is underway among Michigan House Republicans to classify a number of natural gas generators in the Upper Peninsula as clean energy. This move comes as the state faces a mandate to transition entirely to clean energy by 2040, raising concerns about the future of these generators.

Currently, the reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE) used in these natural gas generators must either be phased out or offset their greenhouse gas emissions to comply with the impending energy policy. State Representative Karl Bohnak (R-Deerton) is leading the initiative to allow these generators to continue operating under the clean energy label.

Bohnak expressed doubts about renewable energy sources being able to replace the energy output of the gas generators. “If we were to build out these solar and wind, there would be much less. And we have to use huge amounts of land, hundreds of thousands of acres for solar. And just think about all the roads we have to construct and so on and so forth, how much that would cost,” he remarked on Wednesday.

The relatively recent construction of these 13 RICE generators, which replaced coal plants in the U.P., is a point of contention. Although they emit fewer greenhouse gases than their predecessors, they still burn fossil fuels. Representative David Prestin (R-Cedar River) pointed out that ratepayers will be financially responsible for these generators until 2049.

Prestin raised concerns about potential power shortages if the generators cease operations, stating, “They’re bonded out till then. So, we’re going to be paying on two sources of generation. And at the end of the day, it doesn’t work. If they don’t stay running, we go darker. We become reliant on Wisconsin transmission.”

Despite efforts by Prestin and other Northern Michigan legislators to secure an exemption for the generators during the 2023 rewrite of Michigan’s energy laws, the attempt was unsuccessful. The law does permit exceptions for certain fossil fuel plants equipped with carbon-capture technology. Nonetheless, gaining support from House Democrats for a RICE generator exception seems unlikely.

House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) and House Democratic Floor Leader John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) emphasized the progress Michigan is making thanks to the 2023 Clean Energy and Jobs Act. In a joint statement, they noted, “Michigan is on track for a healthier future thanks to the Clean Energy and Jobs Act we passed in 2023, and we’re already seeing the jobs and tax revenue that go along with transformative infrastructure investments. Any proposal that cuts the U.P. off from the economic and health benefits of green energy doesn’t make sense.”