Energy

Democrat Governor Declares 100% Green Energy Goal For Her State

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Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared her intention Wednesday to have her state achieve a 100% green energy standard.

Whitmer declared the green energy goal during a “What’s Next Address” in Lansing, Michigan, during which she outlined several goals for the remainder of her second term in office. The state will aim to achieve the 100% green energy standard by ditching fossil fuels in favor of green energy sources in the coming decades.

“We will put the Michigan healthy climate plan into action,” Whitmer said during the speech. “First, let’s enact a 100% clean energy standard for Michigan. This means all the energy we produce will be from wind, solar or other commonsense sources.”

Environmentalists Cite Gov Whitmer After Protester Appears To Shut Down Key Pipeline https://t.co/tVhKIHGtmF

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 22, 2021

Her plan for reaching the 100% green energy standard would also authorize the state’s utility regulator to factor “equity” and climate change considerations into their regulatory decision-making, she said during the speech.

“We can achieve 100% clean energy while creating jobs, lowering costs and bringing back billions of our federal tax dollars from Washington home to Michigan,” Whitmer added.

More than 280,000 Michiganders worked in the power generation, energy transmission, storage and distribution and automobile industries in 2020, according to the Department of Energy. Whitmer’s plan and funds from the Inflation Reduction Act are projected to create 160,000 jobs by 2050 and save Michiganders $5.5 billion in energy costs, accordingto a document outlining the green energy initiative’s specifics.

Whitmer pointed to a subsidized battery plant in the Big Rapids, Michigan, area as evidence that the green energy agenda can create jobs for Michiganders in her speech. The parent company of the firm that owns the plant has extensive ties to the Chinese Communist Party, and many locals in the area have criticized the factory for its connection to a communist American adversary.

The green energy standard would incentivize Michigan residents to upgrade their homes and appliances to be more energy efficient in order to save money on utility costs, she suggested in the speech. Many of the more efficient appliances have higher costs up front, are not always compatible with existing wiring and hookups in homes and do not have as many models available for consumers to choose from, according to Chris Boyle, an appliance expert who worked for 40 years as a repairman and home technician.

Whitmer’s office did not respond immediately to a request for comment.