As you heard from us last week, the Michigan Senate headed for summer recess without voting on two bills that would harm renewables and energy efficiency. Many senators said that SB 437 and 438 were too big and complicated to vote for without taking a good look at them first.
If you like clean energy, you won’t like the two energy bills the Michigan Senate Energy & Technology Committee sent to the floor on May 25. And you really won’t like them if you want more competition among utilities, more renewable energy from your utility, and the freedom to make solar energy on your property.
This week the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities sent the letter, below, to members of the Michigan Senate Energy and Technology Committee. We hope you will read it over and send your own note to your own state senator.
To most people, “going solar” looks daunting. That’s because, unless you’re an expert, it is. And that’s why today-Earth Day 2016, exactly 21 years after Groundwork was founded as the Michigan Land Use Institute-we are launching Groundwork Shines to help homeowners choose a right-sized, quality solar system for their house; get it expertly installed at a fair price; start protecting the air, water, and climate; and see modest but steady returns from their smart investments.
Marty Lagina’s massive, seven-story winery-three-quarters of it buried underground-is both a wine lover’s and a clean energy wonk’s dream come true.
Solar panels are still a rare sight in Michigan, but some folks and organizations in our region are working to change that. Local solar contractors and advocates are meeting with us here at Groundwork to figure out how to pick up the pace of putting panels on homes around Traverse City and Frankfort.