Developers and advocates lay out methods for meeting Whitmer's 60% clean energy goal
As Michigan works to build out its clean energy infrastructure to meet its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040, panelists at the 2025 MI Healthy Climate Conference sat down to discuss the steps — and the hurdles — in achieving Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's goal of generating 60% of the state's power from renewables by 2030.
When looking at the biggest challenges in shifting Michigan's energy grid away from fossil fuels to sources like wind and solar, energy developers and solar energy proponents focused on community sentiments as the biggest stumbling block.
Chris Kunkle, the vice president of government affairs for Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy, said the clean energy industry is facing a lot of headwinds from the federal government particularly during a time when energy demand is rising quickly.
However, energy policy is largely determined at the state level, Kunkle said, with Michigan's 2023 clean energy package helping to alleviate previous difficulties in securing permits, allowing energy developers to pursue permitting at the state level if a municipality fails to approve or deny their application within a timely manner, or if local zoning boards either adopt standards stricter than the health and safety standards outlined in the law, or if they deny an application that complies with the standards outlined in the law.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
'We were thrilled to see the state Legislature come up with a really novel approach where you're required to try to go through the local process — and quite prescriptive about what that looks like —and if that falls apart for whatever reason, there's an alternative route to go through the state and receive a permit,' Kunkle said.
But, just like renewable developments in rural communities, these bills were hotly debated in the Legislature, as Republicans argued they stripped away local control in the zoning process.
While the bills ultimately passed along party lines in the previous Democratic-led House and Senate, Republicans have since taken control of the House and Rep. Gregory Alexander (R-Carsonville) has introduced a pair of bills, HB 4027 and HB 4028, to repeal the changes to the permitting process.
'Local governments and residents know their areas better than the state,' Alexander said in a press release. 'They craft policies with this in mind, and people expect their elected local officials to make decisions for their communities and their families with their input at the forefront. When unelected state bureaucrats to come in, cast local input aside and impose projects onto communities, it's a textbook example of government overreach. Our locals should be able to make decisions on property use for themselves, and these bills re-establish this critical element.'
Elise Matz, the vice president of public affairs for Circle Power, said that public acceptance of renewables was a challenge within the state, emphasizing the importance of engaging with the community on the benefits the project could bring.
Matt Wagner, the manager of renewable energy development for DTE Energy, one of the state's largest energy companies, said that the best advertisement for a company's next clean energy project is the last project it finished.
'If those projects go well, you know, we can point to them. It's not just us pointing to them, it's other communities and leaders saying, 'Hey, you know, these guys did a great project over here. You can trust them.' That's our goal,' Wagner said.
On another panel, John Freeman, executive director of the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association, pointed to three main stumbling blocks in encouraging clean energy adoption: education, affordability and the disparity in access.
'People are inherently nervous about big social change, and there's nothing fundamentally bigger than transitioning from our current energy system to one that's built around renewable energy. So we have to do a lot of education to make people feel comfortable with this change,' Freeman said, later pointing to the association's efforts in teaching local governments how to develop a sustainability plan and bringing local officials up to speed on the benefits solar energy systems can bring to a community.
Ali Dirul, the chief executive officer of Ryter Cooperative Industries, which helps design and build solar energy systems, said oftentimes solar developments are done to communities, instead of with them.
'A large solar farm is just plotted in the middle of somebody's recreation area and then, you know, there's upheaval, because it's like anything, if somebody just slapped something in the back of your backyard, you'd ask some questions,' Dirul said.
Community members are the ones who know what they need in their neighborhoods, Dirul noted, creating an opportunity for developers, funders, foundations and foundations to engage with them so that the community can actually benefit.
In the developers panel, the speakers highlighted Michigan's renewable ready communities award, which provides communities who adopt renewable energy with $5,000 per megawatt of capacity to a maximum of $3 million as a major motivator for communities.
However, renewable energy may remain inaccessible to some families, Dirul said, using renters, people who live in multifamily homes, and those who do not have the money upfront for these kinds of projects as an example.
One way to address these concerns is through community solar, Freeman said, allowing residents to buy or subscribe to individual solar panels in an array in order to save money on their energy bills due to the energy generated by the panels. However, these arrangements do not currently have a legal framework in Michigan, with Freeman calling for lawmakers to enact a community solar law.
On the other panel, Kunkle further emphasized the impact that federal tariffs would have on procuring materials for battery storage and other clean energy efforts.
Wagner similarly addressed concerns with navigating the supply chain as President Donald Trump implements and pauses tariffs.
'When you're ordering, literally, in some cases, not just tens of millions, but hundreds of millions of dollars of equipment, it's kind of hard to be nimble and do that in a pause,' Wagner said.
'DTE was fortunate to get a lot of infrastructure in early and we warehoused it. We had no idea how smart we look now,' Wagner said, later noting that this was only a short term solution, with clean energy developers in need of more domestic supply.
Kunkle also emphasized the importance of retaining clean energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act, which face an uncertain future as Trump works to roll back climate efforts implemented under former President Joe Biden.
'If you do that, the price of energy goes up,' Kunkle said, explaining that companies who have committed to building out additional energy resources will still need to procure those resources even as prices increase.
Both panels also discussed workforce development needs, and ways to cultivate clean energy jobs within Michigan communities and ensure that the energy workforce sees a just transition.
Matz noted Circle Power's strong relationship with the building trade workers in the Upper Peninsula, who she said served as major advocates for renewable energy efforts and helped change sentiments on a project from something that may or may not work, to something that is real and will be constructed safely.
Wagner called for efforts to encourage renewable energy careers, noting that DTE partners with technical colleges across the state, noting that these jobs could help keep families together as young people look for opportunities out of Michigan.
'[Parents] hated seeing their kids move away from Bad Axe or move away from other rural communities. It's like, 'How can you do something to help us bring them back?' Well, There's enough renewable energy development projects across Michigan that are going to be going in in the next 10 to 15 to 20 years. If some of these young people from these communities go and get trained, they can be back in their communities with a real, well-paying job. And when parents hear that, it just gives that hope they're not going to lose their kids,' Wagner said.
Dirul noted that while there is no shortage of talent in Detroit to help build and operate clean energy systems, the one thing that is missing is access to training.
'We want to ensure that everybody has access to these pipelines, to these educations, to these trainings, to these certifications, so that they can advance themselves, advance their careers and potentially become gainfully employed in the clean energy industry,' Dirul said.
'We're also looking to just expand beyond entry level jobs. Like, we should also look at management and entrepreneurship.… Not everybody's going to get up on a roof and install solar, and for many people, that's the one thing that will actually detract them from trying to get into the clean energy industry,' Dirul said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

25 minutes ago
Justice Department faces subpoena over Epstein files by House Oversight Committee
A House Oversight subcommittee voted Wednesday to subpoena the Department of Justice to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. The motion passed by a vote of 8-2. Notably, three GOP lawmakers -- Reps. Nancy Mace, Scott Perry and Brian Jack -- joined with Democrats on the subcommittee to approve the subpoena, defying Republican leadership. The House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer must sign the subpoena before it can be officially issued, per committee rules. Comer plans to sign off on the subpoena, a Republican committee source told ABC News. The top Democrat on the subcommittee, Rep. Summer Lee, initially offered the motion. Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, during a news conference in New York on July 2, Minchillo/AP, FILE Republicans on the committee pushed back and amended the subpoena to also include communications by Biden administration officials and the DOJ. These officials include Bill and Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, Robert Mueller, William Barr, Jeff Sessions and Alberto Gonzales. Oversight Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia said in a statement that the subcommittee's vote on Wednesday "was just the first step toward accountability, and we will continue pushing for the truth." "Today, Oversight Democrats fought for transparency and accountability on the Epstein files and won. House Republicans didn't make it easy, but the motion was finally passed to force the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files," Garcia said. The news comes the same day House Oversight Committee Chairman Comer on Wednesday issued a subpoena to Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein, for a deposition to occur at Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee on Aug. 11. "The facts and circumstances surrounding both your and Mr. Epstein's cases have received immense public interest and scrutiny," Comer wrote in a statement Wednesday. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking and other charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022. "What we're talking about here is someone who's in federal prison on appeal, so our attorneys will have to communicate with her attorneys to see if there are terms, if she wants," Comer said before the subpoena was issued. "If there are no terms, we'll roll in there quick." The situation will be similar to Comer's effort to interview Jason Galanis, a former business partner of Hunter Biden and Devon Archer, during the GOP's impeachment inquiry of then-President Joe Biden. "I did that with [Jason] Galanis, and the Democrats were real offended that we would want to interview anyone in prison. But now you know they're, they're all they want to interview someone in prison," Comer said. The committee has shown a propensity to record video of the interviews and release content afterwards -- as it did with several former Biden officials who invoked their 5th Amendment rights earlier this summer -- so it's possible there could be handout video from the deposition. Separately, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Monday that Deputy Attorney Todd Blanche will meet with Maxwell sometime in the "coming days." President Donald Trump last week said on his social media platform that he had ordered the Justice Department to "release all Grand Jury testimony with respect to Jeffrey Epstein, subject only to Court Approval." Comer has also signaled that the circumstances of a closed-door deposition at a federal prison could attract both Democrats and Republicans to attend the interview. "There will be so many members of Congress that'll want to be in that prison," Comer said. "I would assume that there'll be a lot of members of the Oversight Committee on both -- in both parties that'll want to be there." Ghislaine Maxwell attends VIP Evening of Conversation for Women's Brain Health Initiative, Moderated by Tina Brown at Spring Studios on October 18, 2016 in New York Gaboury/Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images A congressional subpoena is a formal legal order issued by a congressional committee or individual compelling their testimony. David Oscar Markus, appellate counsel for Maxwell, said in a statement to ABC News that Maxwell "looks forward" to meeting with Blanche and that meeting will inform how she proceeds with the subpoena. "As for the congressional subpoena, Ms. Maxwell is taking this one step at a time. She looks forward to her meeting with the Department of Justice, and that discussion will help inform how she proceeds," he said. Markus also responded to comments from House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier Wednesday questioning Maxwell's credibility as a witness. "If they see fit to bring in Ghislaine Maxwell for testimony, that's fine. I will note the obvious concern, the caveat that Chairman Comer and I and everyone has that could she be counted on to tell the truth? Is she a credible witness?" Johnson said to reporters. "We understand Speaker Johnson's general concern -- Congress should always vet the credibility of its witnesses. But in this case, those concerns are unfounded. If Ms. Maxwell agrees to testify before Congress and not take the 5th -- and that remains a big if -- she would testify truthfully, as she always has said she would and as she will with Mr. Blanche. The truth should not be feared or preemptively dismissed," Markus said in a statement.


USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
House Oversight Committee to subpoena Epstein files and documents from Clintons
WASHINGTON − The House Oversight Committee voted July 23 to subpoena the Justice Department for files related to Jeffrey Epstein, answering calls from lawmakers and voters alike for more information on the disgraced financier and sex offender. The committee also moved to request documents related to Epstein investigations from a swath of other well-known figures, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Attorney General Merrick Garland. The vote on Epstein case files follows weeks of drama and rare dispute between President Donald Trump, who had a long friendship with Epstein, and his MAGA base. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pennsylvania, offered the motion, and Republican Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Brian Jack of Georgia sided with Democrats in voting for it. Perry later followed with his own motion, which also passed, to expand the committee's investigation to subpoena high-profile Democratic officials who Republicans allege did not address Epstein while they were in office.


Axios
26 minutes ago
- Axios
House to vote on kicking Rep. McIver off committee
The House is set to vote on a Republican measure that would censure Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) and remove her from the House Homeland Security Committee. Why it matters: McIver was indicted last month and pleaded not guilty to three counts of interfering with law enforcement officers over a physical altercation with ICE officers in May. Justice Department prosecutors have accused McIver of elbowing and grabbing an ICE agent outside the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. McIver has denied the allegations and said she was the one assaulted during a chaotic scuffle in which Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested. Driving the news: Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) on Wednesday introduced what is known as a privileged motion to force a vote on his McIver censure resolution. Under House rules, Republican leadership has to put the measure up for a vote within days of the House's return in September unless Higgins withdraws it. The three-page measure alleges McIver's actions "do not reflect creditably on the House" and that her continued service on the Homeland Security Committee "would represent a significant conflict of interest." The measure does not target McIver's membership on the Small Business Committee. What they're saying: Higgins told Axios in an interview at the Capitol that he waited until just before the House's five-week August recess to see if Democrats would remove McIver from the committee themselves. House Republicans' rules mandate that their indicted members must surrender all their committee assignments, but Democrats' rules only force them to give up committee leadership positions. Still, Higgins said, McIver "should not be participating on the committee that has oversight and voting authority over the branch of federal government that she's been indicted for committing crimes against." The other side: "Clay Higgins is a bigot who wants to be back in the news," McIver said in a statement provided to Axios through a spokesperson. "This resolution aims to kick me off the committee that presides over the Department of Homeland Security and shame me for doing the oversight work that is my job," she added. "Good luck, Clay." Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), who was with McIver at Delaney Hall, said her colleague is being "singled out" for "conducting Congressional oversight of an ICE detention facility which was so poorly maintained that an external wall collapsed and four detainees escaped." Both McIver and Watson Coleman alleged that the measure is an attempt to distract from Republicans' internal blowup over the Epstein files. What to watch: It is not clear how Republican leadership will respond, with a spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) declining to weigh in.