Dems plan to center climate legislation this fall to secure billions in federal funds

Since taking control of the House and Senate in January, Michigan Democrats have introduced a number of policies to help write the goals of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan into state law. This includes transitioning to a 100% clean energy standard by 2035 — which includes renewable sources as well as nuclear energy — increasing the state’s energy waste reduction standard to 2% of total annual electricity sales and decarbonizing businesses across the state.

Courtney Bourgoin, the Midwest senior policy and advocacy manager for Evergreen Action, outlined four key findings from a report published by 5 Lakes Energy and the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council on Thursday, which assessed the economic and health benefits of policies aimed at achieving the state’s climate goals.

“First, it’s going to slash energy costs for Michigan families by at least $145 a year. And that will happen by the end of this decade. Second, it’s going to more than double investment in Michigan if we add state policy on top of federal policy” Bourgoin said.

“It’s also going to avoid 1,000 premature deaths in our state by 2050 by avoiding pollution. And lastly, it’s going to continue increasing our job growth in the state. By 2050 we’ll see an additional 160,000 jobs if we pass these policies,” Bourgoin said.

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https://michiganadvance.com/2023/08/10/dems-plan-to-center-climate-legislation-this-fall-to-secure-billions-in-federal-funds/