(Part 6 in an 11-week economic plan to get Michigan moving again and get our people back to work)

This week’s installment of our plan to get Michigan moving again focuses squarely on renewable energy issues and their potential to help get Michigan’s economy back on track. I know I’ve covered much of this before, but with so much action this week on renewable energy – from some long-awaited legislation at the state level to an exciting project to manufacture a new form of wind turbine coming to Manistee – it really does deserve a post all its own.

To start, after a deal was reached on a comprehensive energy package yesterday morning, both the State House and State Senate finally voted to commit to meeting 10% of our energy needs through renewable sources by 2015.  Locally, this bill had the support of all three of the individuals who cover the 101st District in Lansing: State Representative David Palsrok (R-Manistee); State Senator Michelle McManus (R-Lake Leelanau); and State Senator Gerald Van Woerkom (R-Norton Shores).

What’s more, these local Republicans also stressed the economic potential of this legislation, with Rep. Palsrok cited by the Michigan Information and Research Service as stressing that doing nothing was significantly more expensive than the cost of the package, and Sen. McManus saying “Had we done nothing, energy rates would have increased and Michigan would have lost out on billions of dollars worth of new jobs and investment. The cutting-edge, clean energy technologies brought forth in this plan will create good-paying jobs and will help ensure a safe and reliable energy future for Michigan residents and job providers.”  This echoes the point made by State Senator Jason Allen (R-Traverse City) that “Passage of the bills definitely has the potential to help the region’s economy.”  Despite the broad-based consensus of the economic impact of this legislation – including both the jobs it will help create and the long-range negative impact on Michigan residents of doing nothing – my opponent continues to oppose affordable, renewable energy, saying “alternative energy doesn’t work.”

The legislation passed by the state legislature yesterday is an important first step in building a long-range energy plan to make Michigan more competitive and in creating jobs now in this exciting growth area.  What’s more, the fact that the legislation was supported by groups ranging from the Michigan Environmental Council to the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Michigan Manufacturers Association shows that renewable energy solutions can help slow global warming and protect our natural environment while creating jobs and sparking investment in Michigan.  This truly is a win-win, and a step towards a more diversified economy and a more prosperous Michigan.  The cost for this: $3 a month.  Not bad for a plan that can add 30,000 jobs to Michigan, and as part of an overall clean technology strategy than can reduce our highest-in-the-nation unemployment rate by nearly two points.

Locally, Northwest Michigan is well-placed to benefit from statewide efforts to promote renewable energy technologies.  Earlier this week came the announcement that Manistee-based MasTech Manufacturing, Inc. had verbally closed a deal with Mariah Power to manufacture Mariah’s “Windspire” vertical wind axis in Manistee.  The $4 million deal will generate 40 new jobs in Manistee over the next few months, with more than 100 jobs to be created over the next three years.  This deal was the result of local leadership and collaboration between private companies, local economic development officials, and Manistee County and City governments, as well as a number of committed local citizens.  During the process I wrote to both Michigan Economic Development Corporation CEO Jim Epolito and Governor Jennifer Granholm to formally request that MEDC reconsider its earlier decision to reject a $2 million low-interest loan for the two companies from the state’s 21st Century Job Fund; ultimately the project went ahead without any backing from the state.  Bringing the company to Manistee will help create good jobs right here in our community.  It will also build on the Michigan Energy Fair – held each June in Manistee County – and the many other local efforts being made to position our area to lead in the high-growth renewable energy industry.  The economic potential of renewable energy is not theoretical; we’re seeing first-hand how important it can be to our region, and how we can compete to lead in the high-growth renewable energy arena.

Finally, this week also saw a visit from New York Times columnist Tom Friedman to our state, where he reminded us that as important as the energy bill and other efforts are, they are only a first step in building our energy future.  Friedman has been a strong proponent of efforts to promote clean technology, and has argued that investing in renewable energy and other “green” initiatives is, in his words, “geostrategic, geoeconomic, capitalistic and patriotic.”  His essay last year, “The Power of Green,” is a must-read for anyone who hopes to truly understand the global forces, scientific evidence, and economic opportunities that climate change presents.  So when Tom Friedman comes to Michigan to talk about how we can position ourselves on the cutting edge of the green economy to improve our state’s economy, we should all pay attention.  In his speech,  Friedman argued that Michigan needed to go beyond simply joining the ranks of those states with Renewable Portfolio Standards and should instead “have the highest renewable portfolio standard in the country,” saying that this will help ensure that Michigan-based innovators have a domestic market for their products.

Friedman reminds us we need to measure our success not by how we compare to Michigan five years ago, but whether we’re truly positioned to lead renewable energy efforts in an increasingly globalized world.  The announcement earlier this week by MasTech and Mariah Power shows just how exciting an opportunity this is for our region, and the jobs impact leadership in this sector can have.  And the passage of the energy package by the state legislature is the necessary first step to diversifying our economy, securing reliable, affordable energy for Michigan residents, and bringing jobs back to Michigan.  It’s an exciting week to live in Michigan!