A Republican lawmaker from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has introduced a bill aimed at keeping natural gas plants in the region operational.
State Representative Karl Bohnak (R-109th District) has presented his first piece of legislation, which seeks to exempt natural gas-powered generators from Michigan’s 2023 clean energy laws. Bohnak’s proposal is driven by the need to ensure a reliable energy supply for the Upper Peninsula.
“There are three units in Marquette, seven in Negaunee, and another three in the L’Anse/Baraga area,” Bohnak explained. “These generators were built to keep the lights on here in the Upper Peninsula.”
The RICE generators were established after the closure of the Presque Isle and Shiras coal power plants in 2019. However, under the state’s new green energy laws, these generators would either need to shut down or undergo significant operational changes before the laws take full effect. Bohnak warns that ratepayers will bear the financial burden of these changes.
“We’re still paying for these generators until 2049,” Bohnak said. “And who’s going to pay? Ratepayers. We already have some of the highest energy rates in the country, so adding this cost would only worsen our energy challenges.”
In response, House Democratic leaders Ranjeev Puri (D-24th District) and John Fitzgerald (D-83rd District) released a statement, arguing that Michigan is moving toward a cleaner future with the Clean Energy and Jobs Act passed in 2023. They highlighted the economic and health benefits of green energy investments and criticized any proposal that would isolate the U.P. from those advantages.
“Any proposal that cuts the U.P. off from the economic and health benefits of green energy doesn’t make sense,” they said.
The bill is now in the hands of the state’s energy committee. Before it can be voted on by the full House, it must first pass through committee review. If approved, it would then require the support of the Democratic-controlled Senate and Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s approval.
