LANSING, MI – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) today announced the start of an initiative that will launch specifically in Michigan to educate families and small businesses about wind energy production and the new investment, jobs, opportunities and environmental stewardship that comes with it.
The new initiative comes at a time when anti-energy activists across the state are looking to raise taxes and take away the property rights of landowners in towns across Isabella County by creating planning commissions that, if approved by voters August primary ballot, may thwart efforts to bring wind and other forms of energy to Michigan.
The new planning commissions, per reports, would essentially raise property taxes at various levels for homeowners depending on where they live in what is referred to as a mill levy. This is estimated to cost the average homeowner an extra $250 to $380 per year and reject efforts to bring cleaner, more environmentally-friendly energy to nearby communities while stifling job growth.
“CEA is pleased to launch this effort to help ensure that families and small businesses are aware of the importance of energy production to Michigan. Just in Isabella County, wind energy development could provide over $31 million in additional revenue to communities that could reinvest in areas like schools, public safety or road maintenance,” Chris Ventura, CEA’s Midwest Director, said. “Landowners who choose to exercise their property rights for energy development would also receive close to $103 million in compensation.”
“Unfortunately, local planning commissions have been pushed by activists across the state to prevent investments in agricultural and rural communities from taking place, especially as the state works to address its future energy needs,” Ventura added. “Energy opponents have used zoning as a de facto ban on energy development –today it’s wind farms, but tomorrow it could be oil and natural gas production.”
This initiative follows CEA’s “Fueling Michigan’s Forum,” held last week in Marysville, Mich., and attended by state business leaders and policymakers, including State Rep. Dan Lauwers, Michigan’s House Majority Floor Leader, and State Sen. David Knezek, Michigan’s Senate Minority Caucus Chair. It also punctuates the need for sensible all-of-the-above energy policies and adds to the campaign work that CEA is doing across the country in support of solar, pipelines and infrastructure, oil and natural gas as well as energy education and conservation via the organization’s annual Energy Day.
For more information on the initiative, please visit www.consumerenergyalliance.org/wind-energy-initiative.
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About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) brings together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers and manufacturers to support America’s energy future. With more than 500,000 members nationwide, our mission is to help ensure stable prices and energy security for households across the country. We believe energy development is something that touches everyone in our nation, and thus it is necessary for all of us to actively engage in the conversation about how we develop our diverse energy resources and energy’s importance to the economy. Learn more at ConsumerEnergyAlliance.org.
Contact:
Emily Haggstrom
P: 720-582-0242
ehaggstrom@consumerenergyalliance.org