Michigan Voters Support Clean and Affordable Energy Solutions in the Wake of Prolonged Power Outages
By Sabrina Jacobs
In February, over 700,000 Michigan residents faced days of power outages as extreme weather battered one of the nation’s least reliable power grids. Power outages can be incredibly dangerous, especially for homes with seniors and young children who are more at risk of hurting themselves in the dark or experiencing adverse health impacts from extreme temperatures.
Due to an aging power grid system and increased frequency of harsh weather patterns due to climate change, power outages have become much more common in the state. At the same time, Michiganders have been forced to pay some of the highest energy bills in the country for progressively less reliable service — and new polling shows that they’re ready for a change.
Recent polling from Data for Progress, Evergreen Action, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Soulardarity and Michigan United finds that 64 percent of Michigan voters support increasing compensation from the current $35 proposal for those impacted by the recent power outages. This includes 72 percent of Democrats, 57 percent of Independents, and 62 percent of Republicans.
Michigan voters are strongly in favor of state lawmakers working to keep home energy prices affordable and ensuring that utility companies don’t increase prices amid trends of unreliable service. Seventy-three percent of Michigan voters think the state legislature should do more to lower energy costs, including 83 percent of Democrats, 67 percent of Independents, and 68 percent of Republicans.
One way that the Michigan government can keep energy costs affordable is through the Michigan Public Service Commission, a government agency that regulates utility companies in the state. Some Michigan legislators have proposed that the PSC be required to consider power reliability, resilience against extreme weather, pollution reduction, and energy affordability. Data for Progress polling finds that 70 percent of voters believe that the PSC should be required to consider power reliability, resilience against extreme weather, pollution reduction, and energy affordability in all of its regulatory decisions.
Climate change caused by the continued use of fossil fuels is increasing the frequency and severity of weather changes, such as the violent winter storms recently experienced in Michigan. Our poll finds that 38 percent of Michigan voters believe the state legislature isn’t doing enough to address climate change. This includes 50 percent of Democrats, 40 percent of Independents, and 21 percent of Republicans.
To reduce the state’s reliance on heavily polluting and volatile fossil fuels, the Michigan Legislature can consider transitioning to a clean energy grid, drawing all power in the state from wind, solar, and other clean energy sources. Sixty-one percent of Michigan voters support a transition to a 100 percent clean electricity grid by 2035.
In 2022, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the MI Healthy Climate Plan, which is projected to cut Michigan’s greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 — while bolstering the energy grid by adding clean energy sources and upgrading existing infrastructure to make it more resilient to extreme weather. Data for Progress and Evergreen Action find a majority of Michigan voters support core pieces of the MI Healthy Climate Plan:
A strong majority of voters support making improvements to existing power grid infrastructure to better withstand extreme weather (87 percent) and increasing investments for homes and businesses to improve their energy efficiency and lower energy bills (80 percent).
Seventy-three percent of voters support both increasing the share of electricity produced from renewable energy sources and increasing access to clean transit options.
Voters also support building infrastructure to support electric vehicles (60 percent) and phasing out Michigan’s coal-fired power plants (52 percent).
As Michigan voters continue to experience the ramifications of climate change, including power outages due to severe weather, it’s clear that they want their lawmakers to embrace clean energy. A majority of voters are in favor of the MI Healthy Climate Plan and believe that moving toward climate-friendly energy and transportation will improve their lives and help slow climate change.
Sabrina Jacobs (@bri_jacobs) is a staff writer at Data for Progress.