That’s the headline from this great editorial from today’s Bay City Times, passionately arguing that the legislature should drop its “wobbly” plans for reduced Renewable Portfolio Standards for renewable energy, and get on board with a 25% requirement by 2025. The whole editorial should be required reading for everyone working to build a brighter future for Michigan, but this is the part that stands out for me:
“What lawmakers who aim for lower renewable energy standards apparently fail to see are the giant windmill farms and the more than a dozen new ethanol and biodiesel plants under construction here in just the past year. … To build upon all of this – and replace many of the manufacturing jobs we have lost since the turn of the century – Michigan must boldly stride into this new frontier.”
The Bay City Times is the latest in a long line of experts who have called for bold action on renewable energy as an economic stimulus for Michigan’s lagging economy. There was this report from NextEnergy, a Detroit-based alternative energy think tank, noting that of the renewable portfolio stand options they considered, the boldest program also had the most economic potential in terms of jobs and investment. Then there was this opus from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman, that systematically showed how those states, countries and companies that invested in “clean technology” were reaping the economic rewards. And more recently, the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University released this report, which demonstrates how enacting a good RPS is key to attracting jobs and investment to Michigan. Finally, this testimony to the House Energy and Technology Committee from Andrew Such, Executive Director of the Michigan Sustainable Energy Coalition, is a good one-stop-shop for facts and figures on the economic input of a better approach to meeting our state’s energy needs.
I know legislators are nervous. I know they’re worried about costs to consumers (though as Such points out, renewable energy actually helps with price stability, unlike coal and natural gas, which have increased by more than 100% in recent years). But if we’re going to reap the economic rewards of global leadership in renewable energy innovation and production, we must act boldly! Middling along just won’t cut it. As the Bay City Times argues:
“We have the machinists, the engineers, the research facilities and all the equipment we need to make Michigan the go-to place for renewable energy and the technology to produce it.
Draft a plan of action and connect the researchers and bankers with the people here who can build up this new industry.
Aim for the highest renewable energy standard possible.
…
Some may say Michigan can’t possibly meet such a high standard.
Don’t go wobbly on us.
We need everyone fighting courageously – with bold goals – for the future of our state.”
Now that’s a blueprint for a brighter future for Michigan!