August, 11 2009, 01:44pm EDT
New Michigan Energy Report: Renewables and Energy Efficiency Are Enough to Power the State
Analysis shows clean energy technologies can lower energy costs and boost state economy
CHICAGO
Michigan's power needs can be delivered by a combination of wind
power, biomass, and other sources of renewable energy coupled with
aggressive energy efficiency programs, according to a new energy report
from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The report comes as
the Michigan Public Service Commission is set to make recommendations
to the Department of Environmental Quality on the need for power and
availability of cleaner alternative to coal later this month.
"Michiganders
need to think about energy like an investor right now," said Rebecca
Stanfield, a senior energy advocate at NRDC. "Would you put all your
money towards yesterday's dirty technology? No. And Michigan ratepayers
shouldn't be saddled with that sort of risky investment either. The
state has the enviable opportunity to rebuild its economy with cutting
edge energy technologies which will create jobs and clean the air."
A Green Energy Alternative for Michigan,
written by Synapse Energy Economic, a nationally recognized consulting
firm on energy and environmental issues, is a deep analysis of the
state's projected electricity demand, the liabilities associated with
air and global warming pollution, as well as the opportunities offered
by clean energy technologies for job creation, industrial investment,
and resilience in the face of changing circumstances. The report shows
that by displacing traditional fossil fuel energy, the energy
efficiency program alone could save Michigan $3 billion in electricity
costs over the next 20 years. Efficiency savings combined with the
potential of 27,000 GWh of power from clean energy technologies can
fulfill the state's power needs.
Michigan policymakers
are on the cusp of making important decisions regarding the state's
energy future. Already, the state has taken some important steps in
shaping that energy future by establishing binding targets for
renewable-resources, and mandating comprehensive energy planning for
utilities. Michigan also has a climate action plan, and a requirement
for the Department of Environmental Quality to consider the need for
all prudent alternatives to the construction of any new coal-fired
power plant. The report's analysis holds the following lessons for
Michigan:
- The state's previous energy
plan, written in 2007, is today out of date, with unrealistic
projections of future electrical demand, limited deployment of energy
efficiency and renewables, and reliance on 20th Century coal technologies. - Michigan's
most-attractive energy choice by any measure is energy efficiency,
which can be quickly implemented, save energy, make businesses more
productive, lower energy bills, create jobs, avoid pollution, and keep
money in Michigan. Programs that promote cost-effective efficiency make
the single best energy investment available to Michigan citizens,
business, and institutions. - A portfolio of 21st Century choices is less expensive, cleaner, faster, more economically robust, and creates more jobs in Michigan than a 20th Century plan based on new large fossil-fired power plants.
"A
smart energy future for Michigan is one that takes advantage of a
diverse and distributed array of clean energy resources," said David
Schlissel of Synapse, one of the report's authors. "Right now, there is
breathing room to really plan a smart new energy infrastructure in the
state due to the current lull in electricity consumption. It is an
important opportunity to develop a system that will reduce energy
demand and provide new, clean energy even as the economy recovers. I
hope Michigan will take advantage."
This report
discusses policies and measures that are cost-effective and have
measurable benefits. The clean energy portfolio outlined in the report
promotes economic recovery within the state in three ways:
- Creating
jobs in the manufacture and/or installation of wind turbines and solar
cells, and implementation of efficiency improvement to homes,
businesses and other buildings; - Retaining energy dollars in-state that would otherwise be used to purchase energy resources and services out-of-state; and
- Leading to lower future energy costs, thereby promoting the general economic health of Michigan businesses and citizens.
A Green Energy Alternative for Michigan was commissioned by NRDC and is available online at https://docs.nrdc.org/energy/ene_09081101.asp
A recording of this morning's press briefing is available today at https://cc.readytalk.com/play?id=rmfm8
NRDC works to safeguard the earth--its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We combine the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.
(212) 727-2700LATEST NEWS
Critics Blast 'Reckless and Impossible' Bid to Start Operating Mountain Valley Pipeline
"The time to build more dirty and dangerous pipelines is over," said one environmental campaigner.
Apr 23, 2024
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Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC sent a letter Monday to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Acting Secretary Debbie-Anne Reese seeking final permission to begin operation on the MVP next month, even while acknowledging that much of the Virginia portion of the pipeline route remains unfinished and developers have yet to fully comply with safety requirements.
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Appalachian Voices noted that MVP's request comes days before pipeline developer Equitrans Midstream is set to release its 2024 first-quarter earnings information on April 30.
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On Monday, climate and environmental defenders also petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, challenging FERC's approval of the MVP's planned Southgate extension, contending that the project is so different from original plans that the government's previous assent is now irrelevant.
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Others renewed warnings about the dangers MVP poses to wildlife.
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U.S. workers' rights advocates and groups celebrated on Tuesday after the Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 along party lines to approve a ban on most noncompete clauses, which Democratic FTC Chair Lina Khansaid "keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism."
"The FTC's final rule to ban noncompetes will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business, or bring a new idea to market," Khan added, pointing to the commission's estimates that the policy could mean another $524 for the average worker, over 8,500 new startups, and 17,000 to 29,000 more patents each year.
As Economic Policy Institute (EPI) president Heidi Shierholz explained, "Noncompete agreements are employment provisions that ban workers at one company from working for, or starting, a competing business within a certain period of time after leaving a job."
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has suggested it plans to file a lawsuit that, as The American Prospectdetailed, "could more broadly threaten the rulemaking authority the FTC cited when proposing to ban noncompetes."
Already, the tax services and software provider Ryan has filed a legal challenge in federal court in Texas, arguing that the FTC is unconstitutionally structured.
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"The pervasive use of noncompete clauses limits worker mobility, drives down wages, keeps Americans from pursuing entrepreneurial dreams and creating new businesses, causes more concentrated markets, and keeps workers stuck in unsafe or hostile workplaces," she said. "Noncompete clauses are both an unfair method of competition and aggressively harmful to regular people. The FTC was right to tackle this issue and to finalize this strong rule."
Morgan Harper, director of policy and advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project, praised the FTC for "listening to the comments of thousands of entrepreneurs and workers of all income levels across industries" and finalizing a rule that "is a clear-cut win."
Demand Progress' Emily Peterson-Cassin similarly commended the commission "for taking a strong stance against this egregious use of corporate power, thereby empowering workers to switch jobs and launch new ventures, and unlocking billions of dollars in worker earnings."
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Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) executive director Mike Pierce pointed out that the FTC on Tuesday "recognized the harmful role debt plays in the workplace, including the growing use of training repayment agreement provisions, or TRAPs, and took action to outlaw TRAPs and all other employer-driven debt that serve the same functions as noncompete agreements."
Sandeep Vaheesan, legal director at Open Markets Institute, highlighted that the addition came after his group, SBPC, and others submitted comments on the "significant gap" in the commission's initial January 2023 proposal, and also welcomed that "the final rule prohibits both conventional noncompete clauses and newfangled versions like TRAPs."
Jonathan Harris, a Loyola Marymount University law professor and SBPC senior fellow, said that "by also banning functional noncompetes, the rule stays one step ahead of employers who use 'stay-or-pay' contracts as workarounds to existing restrictions on traditional noncompetes. The FTC has decided to try to avoid a game of whack-a-mole with employers and their creative attorneys, which worker advocates will applaud."
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One plaintiffs' attorney said the ruling "makes our democracy better and ensures that North Carolina is not able to unjustly criminalize innocent individuals with felony convictions who are valued members of our society."
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Democracy defenders on Tuesday hailed a ruling from a U.S. federal judge striking down a 19th-century North Carolina law criminalizing people who vote while on parole, probation, or post-release supervision due to a felony conviction.
In Monday's decision, U.S. District Judge Loretta C. Biggs—an appointee of former Democratic President Barack Obama—sided with the North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute and Action NC, who argued that the 1877 law discriminated against Black people.
"The challenged statute was enacted with discriminatory intent, has not been cleansed of its discriminatory taint, and continues to disproportionately impact Black voters," Biggs wrote in her 25-page ruling.
Therefore, according to the judge, the 1877 law violates the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause.
"We are ecstatic that the court found in our favor and struck down this racially discriminatory law that has been arbitrarily enforced over time," Action NC executive director Pat McCoy said in a statement. "We will now be able to help more people become civically engaged without fear of prosecution for innocent mistakes. Democracy truly won today!"
Voting rights tracker Democracy Docket noted that Monday's ruling "does not have any bearing on North Carolina's strict felony disenfranchisement law, which denies the right to vote for those with felony convictions who remain on probation, parole, or a suspended sentence—often leaving individuals without voting rights for many years after release from incarceration."
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"It also makes our democracy better and ensures that North Carolina is not able to unjustly criminalize innocent individuals with felony convictions who are valued members of our society, specifically Black voters who were the target of this law," Brown added.
North Carolina officials have not said whether they will appeal Biggs' ruling. The state Department of Justice said it was reviewing the decision.
According to Forward Justice—a nonpartisan law, policy, and strategy center dedicated to advancing racial, social, and economic justice in the U.S. South, "Although Black people constitute 21% of the voting-age population in North Carolina, they represent 42% of the people disenfranchised while on probation, parole, or post-release supervision."
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"Judge Biggs' decision will help ensure that voters who mistakenly think they are eligible to cast a ballot will not be criminalized for simply trying to re-engage in the political process and perform their civic duty."
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As similar battles play out in other states, Democratic U.S. lawmakers led by Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont in December introduced legislation to end former felon disenfranchisement in federal elections and guarantee incarcerated people the right to vote.
Currently, only Maine, Vermont, and the District of Columbia allow all incarcerated people to vote behind bars.
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