Two state legislators provided a window into governmental approaches to sustainable energy issues Monday morning.
For two hours at the Michigan Works! Center, State Senator Jason Allen, 37th District, and State Representative David Palsrok, 101st District, spoke to and answered questions from the audience of 60 attendees. The Northwest Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, a program of the ten-county Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, sponsored the event.
Allen and Palsrok began the workshop by describing various legislative bills that would promote sustainable business in the state, including efforts in committee on both the Senate and House side. Given the state's economic crisis and loss of what Allen said totaled 200,000 union jobs in the auto industry, the incentives to address sustainable energy issues stem from a mix of consumer, industry and business costs and concerns.
Allen described tax credits for technology development, noting the success of Traverse City-based Tellurex and their thermoelectric modules for cooling and power generation. He also talked about current legislation and proposal bills geared to help cities such as Grand Rapids, Flint, the lower Woodward corridor in Detroit or Port Huron revitalize or rehabilitate the downtowns.
"In three to five months we'll have additional tools workable in Manistee, Petoskey and also in Detroit and Port Huron,” he said. "If you create a walkable downtown it's a way to spin off jobs. And when you have a vibrant downtown you don't have to use your car as much.”
Palsrok delved deeply into numerous technical facets of sustainable energy as he works with a Democratic colleague in a bi-partisan workgroup to bring to the floor a bill giving Michigan a date and benchmark for a Renewable Portfolio Standard. This standard, implemented by more than half the states, specifies the percentage of energy that utility companies must generate using sustainable means and gives the year of this goal.
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change documents the RPS status of all states. Adjoining Michigan, for example, Illinois has a goal of 25 percent by 2025 and Wisconsin has a goal of 10 percent by 2015. The Pew data also shows that Indiana and Ohio do not yet have an RPS implemented.
"There's a cost of doing nothing and a cost of not having a diversified portfolio,” said Palsrok, whose district includes Manistee, Mason, Benzie and Leelanau counties. "It's very complicated, every decision we make will impact everything including renewable and energy efficiency.”
Speaking about 30 minutes total, the legislators then opened the floor to questions for the rest of the meeting. The Republicans fielded questions on a range of sustainable energy topics, including wind, solar, biomass and nuclear fuels, consumption, conservation, consumer and business impact, timelines for change and Michigan's status versus others states'. Attendees also discussed the inherent tension between creating a portfolio to meet increasing consumption, especially when the economy improves, and the role of conservation as a green approach.
Palsrok talked about a potential modest rate increase to help utility companies pay for diversifying the energy portfolio.
"How is the rate increase going to help the common person?” asked Jim Carruthers, a Traverse City resident and City Commissioner, one of a number of questions addressing the role and responsibilities of the utility companies.
The meeting concluded after numerous vigorous discussions packed with data and details about the complex issues of sustainable energy.
"This has been a great dialogue from my standpoint,” concluded Palsrok as the meeting adjourned. "I've picked up some things and learned some things.”
The next Sustainable Business Forum workshop will be on "Biofuels the Next Step.” This meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 20, at 8:30 a.m. in Room 112 on the Great Lakes Campus of Northwestern Michigan College, 715 East Front St. The public is welcome but pre-registration is required; call Patty O'Donnell at 929-5039. For more information on the Northwest Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, see their web site at www.nwmsbf.org.