A state House committee opened hearings Wednesday on overhauling Michigan’s energy strategy.
A lot of the discussion was on how to best encourage renewable energy.
The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Rick Pluta reports.
Republican state Representative Aric Nesbitt chairs the House Energy Policy Committee. He wants to keep the current renewable energy mandate on utilities at 10% – a benchmark they’re close to hitting. Nesbitt says boosting it would be expensive. He wants to relax the standards so more options – like trash-to-energy – can count.
“You’re going to have more renewables, but let’s do it in the most cost-effective, cleanest way as opposed to certain special interests saying: We want our kind of technology,” he says.
Governor Rick Snyder is set to weigh in with his energy recommendations in a special message on Friday.