LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Hauck, R-Mt. Pleasant, issued the following statement on after the Senate gave final approval to the Democrat-led plan to radically change the state’s energy policies:
“I said it after the bills received their first committee hearing, and I echo the same concerns now: The biggest issue with this plan is that it ignores the many questions and concerns that continue to surround the proposed alternative energy sources. I don’t think the committee process was thorough enough, and I don’t think adequate answers came out of the hearings.
“However, as we have seen so much of already this term, the Senate steamrolled ahead and approved these bills anyway.
“This has been a continuous effort to force radical energy reforms on the people of this state. The bills fail to provide meaningful solutions, and instead defer to agenda-driven policy. They would abandon previous investments, leaving money on the table, and they don’t do anything to improve reliability or reduce costs — which are the two things people have been calling on to be fixed.
“It’s no secret formula that when costs go up, rates go up, and when government imposes mandates, costs rarely go down.
“These bills take Michigan one step closer to being like California, where rates are high, reliability is low and where blackouts are commonplace.
“We cannot simply abandon our current infrastructure in pursuit of new sources that have failed to be reliable, especially on a statewide scale. I voted against these bills and will continue to push back on these extreme reforms until we can meet in the middle and find some sensible, comprehensive solutions that address the largest concerns of state residents and ratepayers.”
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