The legislature is off for its two-month summer break, but there will be a lot of work to do when lawmakers get back to work at the end of the season.
Kenn Sikkema and Susan Demas joined us today for our weekly political roundup and two of the biggest issues that could be on the agenda when work resumes in Lansing has to do with renewable energy mandates and solar power regulations.
The legislation pending in the Senate calls for 35% of the energy generated to come from renewable sources by 2025. In the House it's 30%. However, those numbers are not mandates, they're goals and currently have no consequences in place if those goals are not met.
Elsewhere, Michiganders who have solar panels on their rooftop, or in their yards, will be watching closely as the issue of net metering will be tackled in Lansing. We have explored the issue on Stateside recently where legislators want to see regulations put in place as to how individuals sell energy back to the utility companies. Advocates of the solar industry say that net metering could deliver a major blow to the industry and could cost hundreds of green jobs in this state.
Listen to the full interview below as Demas and Sikkema provide some analysis and make some predictions about how these issues will play out in the legislature when lawmakers return from summer break.
GUESTS Susan Demas is publisher of Inside Michigan Politics. She tweets @sjdemas. Ken Sikkema is a senior policy fellow at Public Sector Consultants.
