on its integrated resource plan pending before the Michigan Public Service Commission.
The Consumers settlement is a historic one for many reasons, so let’s take a look at some of the major components and how they connect with our 100-percent report and the MI Healthy Climate Plan:The proposed settlement confirms Consumers’ plan to retire all its coal-fired power plants by 2025, which would make it one of the first utilities in the Midwest to go coal-free.
in avoided public health costs we calculated under a 100-percent renewable electricity standard alone.To achieve Michigan’s climate goals, it is imperative that utilities not build new gas-fired power plants, which would only swap one fossil fuel for another and put ratepayers on the hook to pay off debt for plants that become uneconomic to run. Consumers’ plan wisely avoids that risky path.
is particularly concerning from an environmental justice perspective due to its high pollution emission rates and location in a densely populated area that suffers from high cumulative health impacts and socioeconomic burdens.The settlement agreement by Consumers confirms its plans to add more than 8,000 megawatts of new solar resources by 2040.
and enact a 100-percent renewable energy standard by 2035 and documents the tremendous health and economic benefits such a policy could produce for the state.
It is a plan that isn't set in stone. Can change with the next administration.
Most of this article is about a plan, not commitments or accomplishments, right?