Somethings to consider before voting for Prop 3.
1) Prop 3 does not deal with energy conservation, the cheapest and most environmentally friendly way to reduce our energy consumption and pollution and create green energy jobs.
2) Prop 3 has nothing to do with individual or small business renewable energy use. It doesn’t help you as a home owner take advantage of the free energy sources around you.
3) Prop 3 is not a state energy plan. It doesn’t include any means as to how best to achieve a 25% mandate, how the renewable energy will be generated or who will do the actual generation. Nor does it deal with the estimated 3100 industrial sized wind turbines needed to achieve the 25% mandate as well as any additional private corporations that may want to build subsequent wind developments in Michigan.
4) We don’t really know the costs of this proposal. The 1% rate cap on Prop 3 is meaningless. Prop 3 tells our public regulated utilities they have to achieve a 25% mandate by 2025. If they feel they cannot keep the 1% cap they will go to court to have it raised.
5) You don’t have to be for the current coal system to be against Prop 3. Prop 3 is a easy sounding solution to our coal consumption problems. Prop 3 benefits a corporate culture that wants to harvest the energy around you and sell it back to you for the benefit of their investors without having ever to address the aesthetics and community concerns of large scale industrial wind turbines in the environment.
6) We should not be deciding our state energy policy based on the promise of jobs. If that was the case the Oil and Gas Fracking Industry could be making the same claims.