LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Hauck, R-Mt. Pleasant, issued the following statement on after the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment resumed hearings on the Democrat-led plan to radically change the state’s energy policies:
“The biggest issue with this plan is that it ignores the many questions and concerns that still surround a lot of the proposed alternative energy sources.
“Taking care of the environment and continuing to study and look at alternative sources is a great cause — one that I can get behind — but we cannot abandon our current infrastructure and the investments that have already been made in pursuit of new sources that have been unproven at this scale.
“Wind and solar are often advertised as ‘free energy’ but include large upfront costs — this certainly creates a concern that the state’s ratepayers will be forced to shoulder that burden through increased rates, while also bringing into question the reliability of new sources. The existing grid is struggling as it is, and instead of creating stability in what we have, this plan wants to start from scratch.
“There has also been some concern about certain items currently under local control being shifted to the state, and that certainly brings its own set of questions — especially when coupled with massive statewide mandates.
“Michiganders cannot afford these kinds of drastic, agenda-driven mandates that will almost certainly result in higher costs for ratepayers. We’ve seen this movie before, and we know the ending.”
###