Yesterday, Michigan House Republicans pushed through a two-bill package that would roll back the state's clean energy mandates, including the 100 percent clean energy goal approved in 2023. The votes set up a high-stakes showdown with the Democratic-led Senate and reopened the fight over how the state balances climate policy, monthly bills, and keeping the lights on.
Backers cast the effort as a needed course correction for a grid they say is too fragile and too expensive. Critics counter that the bills would unwind hard-fought climate protections and slow the spread of rooftop and community solar just as they are starting to catch on.
Yesterday, House members approved House Bill 5710 and its companion HB 5711 in largely party-line votes, 58-47 and 57-48. One Democrat, Rep. Peter Herzberg of Westland, crossed over to support HB 5710, according to Bridge Michigan. The package moved quickly through the calendar and now heads to the state Senate.
What the bills would change
The two bills go after different parts of Michigan's recent clean energy overhaul.
HB 5711 would wipe out the state's clean and renewable energy standards. HB 5710 would rewrite how the Michigan Public Service Commission reviews long-term utility plans, known as integrated resource plans. The new language emphasizes affordability, reliability, and so-called dispatchable resources such as plants that can run on demand, while stripping out environmental justice reviews along with some reporting and energy storage benchmarks. Those changes appear in bill summaries and text tracked by LegiScan.
Together, the measures would repeal pieces of the 2023 energy package that set a 60 percent renewable energy target by 2035 and a 100 percent clean energy goal by 2040.
Supporters say affordability and reliability matter
Republicans have branded the package "Project Lighthouse" and say it is meant to steer the grid back toward reliability and lower bills, with more deference to ratepayers.
In a release from House Republicans, Rep. Pauline Wendzel said the bills "put affordability and reliability first" and blasted what she called a "hidden surcharge" that funnels ratepayer dollars to outside advocacy organizations, as detailed by Michigan House Republicans. Business groups and some local officials lined up in support, arguing that state mandates have already driven up energy costs in parts of Michigan.
Opponents warn of backsliding on climate and costs
Democrats and clean energy advocates say the bills would reverse Michigan's progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and could leave customers paying more over time.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks labeled the measures "a bad idea" and said there is "no chance" either bill receives a vote in the Senate, according to Bridge Michigan. Opponents also point to volatile global fuel prices as a reminder that leaning too heavily on fossil fuels can backfire on monthly bills, a concern highlighted by Michigan Public.
Utilities and the commission
For their part, the state's two largest utilities say they are not planning to slap a special surcharge on customers to meet current renewable targets. DTE Energy and Consumers Energy told reporters their existing plans can hit those marks without an extra line item on bills, as reported by MLive.
Meanwhile, the Michigan Public Service Commission is already weighing multiple renewable energy siting proposals, including a roughly 300-megawatt wind project in Sanilac County. Regulators and utilities argue that long planning and interconnection timelines mean those decisions are on a separate track from whatever lawmakers do next. Advocates respond that the bills would still narrow the tools regulators can use when they weigh long-term risks to customers and the grid.
What happens next
The package now lands in the Senate, where leaders have signaled they are unlikely to bring the bills up for a vote and that the plan could die this session, according to Michigan Public.
If the Senate did move the bills, however, the changes would reset the commission's standard of review for utility plans and could influence approvals for generation, storage and distributed energy projects statewide.
How this could affect your bill
HB 5711 reaches directly into programs that homeowners and small businesses watch closely.
The bill would sharply reduce caps on distributed generation programs, which would limit how many customers can enroll in rooftop solar, and it would relax targets for energy waste reduction. Those shifts are laid out in the HB 5711 summary on LegiScan.
Consumer advocates argue that shrinking distributed generation caps and weakening efficiency goals would slow the growth of cost-saving rooftop and community solar projects. Supporters fire back that the changes are needed to shield customers who do not participate in those programs from higher costs.
For now, the 2023 clean energy law remains in effect unless and until the Senate decides otherwise.
