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House passes bills allowing Upper Peninsula gas generators to operate until 2050
Summary
The Michigan House approved legislation to delay Clean and Renewable Energy Act requirements for 13 reciprocating internal combustion engine (RICE) generators in the Upper Peninsula, a move supporters said protects jobs and reliability and opponents said undercuts clean-energy progress.
LANSING — The Michigan House of Representatives on Wednesday passed bills that amend the Clean and Renewable Energy and Energy Waste Reduction Act to allow 13 reciprocating internal combustion engine, or RICE, natural-gas generators in the Upper Peninsula to continue operating through their projected life cycle in 2050.
Supporters said the change protects a large industrial customer and thousands of jobs and maintains local power reliability while opponents said it weakens the state’s clean-energy transition and risks higher long-term costs for Upper Peninsula ratepayers.
Representative Bonak, sponsor of House Bill 4007, told the chamber the RICE units in Marquette and Baraga counties were built in partnership with Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and Wisconsin utilities to replace two coal plants and “reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 70%.” He said the 2023 Clean and Renewable Energy Act would otherwise require those units to cease operations about 10 years earlier than their equipment life, and that allowing them to run through 2050 prevents deindustrialization and job losses in the region. Representative Preston and Representative Andrews also spoke in support, saying the bills preserve energy reliability and union jobs in the Upper Peninsula and at the Tilden mine.
Representative Pohotzky urged a “no” vote, arguing the bills would undermine Michigan’s clean-energy leadership and remove tools — including energy efficiency and renewable deployment — that can lower costs for UP customers. Pohotzky said the Michigan Public Service Commission already has authority to grant exemptions or extensions where justified and warned that preempting the regulatory process could produce unintended outcomes.
The House approved House Bill 4007 by a roll-call count of 82 aye to 27 nay; the chamber later approved House Bill 4283 by 83 aye to 26 nay. In both cases the majority moved and the House ordered immediate effect.
Discussion vs. decision
Debate focused on three areas: (1) energy reliability for an electrically isolated region that imports most power from Wisconsin; (2) economic impacts on the Tilden mine and other UP employers should the generators be retired early; and (3) whether the state Legislature should override or pre-empt a regulatory review by the Michigan Public Service Commission. Supporters emphasized local jobs and system stability; opponents emphasized statewide clean-energy goals and the MPSC’s existing authority.
What the bills do
- HB 4007 and HB 4283 amend the Clean and Renewable Energy and Energy Waste Reduction Act to allow utilities that serve the Upper Peninsula and rely on the specified RICE units time to meet standards until 2050 rather than earlier dates set by the 2023 law. - Supporters described the change as a time-limited bridge to compliance rather than a permanent exemption; opponents disagreed on the likely effects.
Votes at a glance (from House roll calls)
- HB 4007 (third reading, introduced by Representative Bonak): Passed, 82–27; immediate effect ordered. - HB 4283 (third reading, introduced by Representative Preston): Passed, 83–26; immediate effect ordered.
Who spoke (selected)
- Representative Bonak — sponsor, spoke in support (government). - Representative Andrews — spoke in support (government). - Representative Preston — spoke in support (government). - Representative Pohotzky — spoke in opposition (government).
Clarifying details
- Number of RICE units discussed: described in debate as 13 units serving parts of Marquette and Baraga counties (as stated on the floor). - Supporters said the RICE units reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 71% compared with the coal plants they replaced (sponsor’s floor remarks). - Sponsors said the bills allow the units to run through their “projected life cycle” in 2050. - Opponents said the Michigan Public Service Commission already can grant exemptions or extensions under the existing statute; the transcript records that as a point of contention.
Why it matters
The votes alter how Michigan balances its 2023 clean-energy law with local reliability and industrial-power needs in an isolated region. The outcome affects the operational horizon for tens of megawatts of dispatchable generation in the Upper Peninsula, potential surcharges described by sponsors as affecting large industrial customers, and the broader policy question of legislative fixes versus regulatory discretion.
Where this came from in the record
The bill package was read on the floor and debated during the House’s third-reading sequence. The House clerk’s roll-call tallies and the sponsor and opposing floor remarks provided the basis for this report.
Ending note
Both bills cleared the House and were given immediate effect by the chamber’s vote; the transcript does not record final action in the Senate or any subsequent changes by the Michigan Public Service Commission.
