State Representative Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River) has strongly denounced the Green Energy package recently signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, labeling it a “radical plan” with far-reaching negative impacts on Upper Peninsula (U.P.) residents and businesses.
In an interview with RRN News, Prestin expressed concerns about the ambitious targets set by the legislation, aiming for 100-percent of Michigan’s energy to be derived from “clean” sources by 2040. He asserted that the package would prove devastating to the region, posing threats to reliability, affordability, and employment.
“It’s a threat to the U.P. in every way that you can think of,” Prestin emphasized. He indicated that he, along with State Representative Greg Markkanen (R-Hancock) and State Senator Ed McBroom (R-Norway), will organize Town Hall Meetings to provide more information about the legislation to the public.
Prestin argued that the Green Energy package would compel public utilities to invest millions in what he termed “preposterous renewable energy credits” to comply with the new laws. He cautioned that these costs would inevitably be transferred to utility customers, exacerbating financial burdens on individuals already struggling with current rates.
“People can’t afford the rates they’re being charged as it is,” Prestin stated.
A longstanding critic of the transition to solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources, Prestin dismissed them as a “pipe dream” unsuitable for rural areas like the Upper Peninsula. Despite Governor Whitmer signing the legislation into law, Prestin pledged to persist in opposing it.
“Our voices matter. This isn’t the end,” he declared. “There’s nothing stopping the people of our state from banding together to repeal these radical policies rooted in ideology instead of science. We’re going to fight this intentional sabotage of our future. This law will not stand.”