LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Rick Outman issued the following statement after the Democrat-led Senate approved proposals to overhaul the state’s energy policies and require Michigan adapt to a clean energy standard:
“These bills were never about finding an answer, they were always about satisfying an agenda.
“They ignore the two main issues people are facing: Reliability and affordability — and they actually bring both of those concerns even more into question. I don’t think the necessary due diligence was done with this package and we’re left with more questions than answers on the table.
“The main question I have been asking is how are we going to pay for all this? No has been able to answer that. The fact is, when the private sector faces pressure from the government, costs go up. If it’s more expensive to produce, it’ll cost more to buy.
“Rates are already through the roof, our existing grid is struggling from lack of investment and with reliability issues, and these proposals do nothing to address these most critical issues. The only thing it seems they’ll be good at is running more businesses and people out of the state.
“I’m just not convinced we are there yet with these technologies — both known and unknown — that we’d be forced to rely upon under many of these mandates. This governor has even gone so far as to say she would like to fully phase out propane use by 2050, but she is relying on new energy sources that have “yet to be identified.”
“To me, many of the most important questions remain unanswered.
“I voted no on the three bills that came before the Senate and will vote against any of the other extreme reforms that stamp a big question mark on the state’s energy future.”
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