As 2016 drew to a close, another Republican governor helped ensure his state’s clean energy future. While Ohio’s Gov. John Kasich fought back an attempt to freeze clean energy in his state, in neighboring Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder ensured final passage of major energy reforms before the clock ran out on the session. In an interview with Midwest Energy News, Snyder reflected on the bill and the future of energy in Michigan.
“I think we’ve taken a really great approach in Michigan” he said. “The real priorities that came of this were: How do we really set up a framework for success and make it adaptable, because there are things we don’t know into the future. What we do know is that we have all of these aging coal plants that should be retired, both from a cost and an environmental perspective. And looking ahead, we know we need cleaner sources of energy and that are affordable and reliable.” Snyder said the ultimate goal is to “let the market work” and in the end, the bill “set ranges to say we wanted much more clean energy and we want to let some balance happen between natural gas and renewables.”
“This was one of the finest illustrations of good, bipartisan and broad-based work I’ve seen in my time as governor,” he said.