It’s time for another lesson here at our tuition-free, unaccredited, but completely credible MI Senators’ Clean Energy Summer School! We’re training you up to convince your state senator to transform SB 437 and 438 from their current, flat-out flunkiness into Best In Class clean energy legislation when lawmakers get back to Lansing in September. So…let’s get to it!
Last week was a good one for clean, renewable energy in our town. Traverse City Light & Power signed a contract for more power from a planned wind farm in the Thumb. The contract adds 3.6 megawatts of wind power to the public utility’s energy supply-enough to power about 1,000 homes for a year.
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.
Benzie County homeowners who are seriously considering adding solar panels to their homes are invited to a League of Women Voters forum highlighting a new, locally based campaign called Groundwork Shines that makes going solar easy and financially attractive.