Michigan Public Service Commission rejects U.P. company’s energy plan

A leading employer in the Upper Peninsula fears significant economic harm from the mandate, as do lawmakers from the area. - Jamie A. Hope

• Michigan Public Act 233 of 2023, enacted by a Democratic trifecta, requires utility companies to get 100% of their power from so-called green energy sources by 2040.

If the state does not change its renewable energy law, the Upper Michigan Energy Resources will have to scrap some RICE generators (Peaker power plants provide power when "green" energy like solar/wind can't. During night, snow, light/too much wind) that it uses to produce electricity but has not yet paid for...
The utility and its customers will be obligated to pay off the RICE generators until 2049, even if they are unusable.
Cleveland Cliffs, a large employer in the U.P., has said it may cease operations at its open-pit Tilden Mine (iron mine) south of Ishpeming if electricity prices soar, as CapCon previously reported.
The mine employs about 900 people and had a total economic impact of $452 million as of December 2017, according to a 2018 Cleveland Cliffs fact sheet...