Andy Balaskovitz is a contributing editor at Canary Media who compiles the Midwest Energy News newsletter. He is based in Michigan and has covered the state’s energy transition since 2014 for various publications, including the Energy News Network.
A Michigan lawmaker more widely known for his strongly conservative positions on social issues may be an unlikely ally for those pushing for more clean energy here. State Rep. Gary Glenn, a first-term Tea Party Republican, says he is preparing to release an energy package next month that would encourage distributed generation and allow ratepayers to buy renewable energy from alternative suppliers.
The Ludington Pumped Storage hydroelectric facility in western Michigan is a clean and renewable energy source that should receive credits for its ability to reduce carbon emissions, according to various state and federal lawmakers. But amid comprehensive energy policy proposals at the federal and state levels, debate swirls over whether the operation along Lake Michigan is actually clean or renewable.