LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has unique energy needs and residents there deserve special protection from clean energy mandates, according to two lawmakers representing the area.

House Bills 4007 and 4283, proposed by Representatives Karl Bohnak (R-Deerton) and Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River), would keep the U.P.’s 13 Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine (RICE) generators operational through the end of their lifecycle in 2049.

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The two lawmakers spoke at a press conference on Wednesday. They said the RICE generators exist to stabilize the U.P.’s energy grid. They were built to fill the gap after the decommissioning of the Presque Isle and Shiras coal power plants in 2019. Prestin said the generators have decreased U.P. carbon dioxide emissions by more than 70%. Because of this, they argue the U.P. should be exempt from the state’s newly-enacted green energy laws that will transition Michigan to 100% carbon neutrality by 2050.

“The Tilden Mine—the second-largest iron ore mine in America—drives 60% of the U.P.’s energy demand,” Rep. Prestin said. “If we don’t amend the 2023 law, Tilden faces a crushing $1.3 million surcharge in 2027, which will increase until it plateaus at $15 million a month in 2040. That’s before they even flip on a light switch. No business can survive that.”

Rep. Bohnak echoed similar concerns. “Without reliable, affordable energy provided by the RICE units, the Upper Peninsula will be forced to deindustrialize, which will result in drastic depopulation. My plan would protect U.P. energy production and maintain our 175-year-old mining industry.”

The bipartisan plan now moves to the Senate.