Electric Choice No Votes Explanation (HB 5224 & SB 213)

I cannot support House Bill 5524 and SB 213 These bills will drive up the cost for both consumers and Michigan Business. This bill will reduce competition to 10%, and give Consumers Power and Detroit Edison a guaranteed customer base of 90%, which by any measure is a virtual monopoly.  It also mandates that 10% of our energy must be produced by renewable energy sources by 2020, and will add an additional charge on every Michigan citizen, business, and industrial user's bill.  

In a free enterprise system if someone wants to start a new business, build a new facility, or advance a new product line; they send out a venture capital, stock and bond offering inquiry to see if there is interest and support.  If there is sufficient interest and support they get their venture capital, sell the stock and bonds, and they start the business, build the facility, and put the new line into production.  That is how our entire capitalistic system works and has made America the greatest economic power in the world.  This system should not be applied to one industry, but not another, it should apply to all industries equally.  Consumers and DTE are great companies but why should the state of Michigan have to promise them anything, when they can do the same thing that every other private company does to raises capitol to build a new facility which will generate a profit.

These bills limit consumer and business choice, create costly and unrealistic mandates, and monopolize Michigan's electric system, all of which will drive up electrical costs.  Government should not pick winners and losers, they should not pick one energy company over another, and they should stay out of the market place!  For these reasons, I will not support the proposed energy bills.

COMMENT

This was a major piece of legislation, which is a major departure from free market principles and a foolishly applies costly and unrealistic mandates on the citizens and businesses of MI. I attached the statement below to the end of the bill and it is recorded like a dissent on a judicial ruling, when the bill is enrolled.