State Rep. Timmy Beson today said renewable energy mandates signed into law this week will raise costs for families, threaten energy reliability and strip away local input on future projects in local communities.

The new laws require all utilities to utilize 100% clean energy by 204. They also will shift power away from local governments by giving the Michigan Public Service Commission the authority to site large solar and wind projects to accommodate the massive overhaul to green energy. The legislation would serve as a workaround to local needs and diminish the roles of local elected officials.

“People across the state have voiced opposition to these initiatives at different points when they’ve come up locally and, in some cases, local boards and commissions have denied constriction plans for projects after gathering input from people and communities they represent,” said Beson, of Bay City. “Why would we squash that by centralizing these decisions? These new laws put key decisions in the hands of bureaucrats who don’t know our communities as well as the people within them. This is a dangerous precedent and it’s why I voted against them when they were in the House.”

In addition to the loss of local input, Beson said the change won’t be practical for consumers – with clouds and snow limiting how much solar energy Michigan receives and safety concerns arising for people who will need to go out on their roofs to clear off panels so they can collect energy.

“I worry about the impact these laws will have on the disabled and elderly,” Beson said. “Some solar farms have heating technology for clearing snow and consumers with panels on the ground can brush it off, but a lot of residents won’t be able afford these technological upgrades and some cities won’t have space on their property for ground-based panels. There are multiple implementation issues with these plans that weren’t thoroughly considered.

“California also pursued these types of timelines and has had to scale them back and keep natural gas plants open because they were experiencing brownouts,” Beson said. “Energy providers in our state are already transitioning to more renewable energy without this type of aggressive government intervention. This plan puts a radical agenda first, not the interests of Michigan families and our communities.”