CEME QUESTIONNAIRE - Citizens Energizing Michigan's Economy

SECTION 1 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PREAMBLE

Growing Michigan’s economy is critical to our state. Michigan’s economy should be diverse and innovative to create new jobs, attract new businesses and compete in a global economy.

An essential part of growing the state’s economy is maintaining and investing in the state’ energy infrastructure that will not only create new Michigan jobs and spur economic growth but will help to protect the environment.

Please indicate your support or opposition to the following questions:

Question #1 - Do you support the State of Michigan creating economic development incentives designed to compete with other states to help attract new businesses to Michigan?(Required)

Yes

Question #2 - Do you believe that having a reliable energy infrastructure is a critical component to economic development?(Required)

Yes

Question #3 - Do you support growing Michigan by having a stable, reliable, affordable energy grid that is Michigan owned and Michigan operated by Michigan workers?(Required)

Yes

SECTION 2 ENERGY POLICY PREAMBLE

Energy Policy: Michigan’s energy laws over the years have created an energy market that has brought certainty for Michigan’s future energy needs. By passing strong energy policies, legislators have helped shape Michigan’s energy market, leading the way to ensure reliable power to meet the state’s energy needs for years to come. Michigan’s energy construct has established key principles to provide reliable, affordable, safer and cleaner energy to Michigan residents and businesses. The key principles are:

Reliability: In Michigan, reliability is critical to keeping our lights on. Michigan needs to invest in the right resources in order to meet Michigan’s peak electricity needs on the hottest days of the year. Michigan utilities are investing heavily into the system to prevent outages and hardening the system, while keeping affordability top of mind. Michigan is modernizing the power grid to lead the clean energy transformation. That means employing the latest smart technology to reduce energy waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions, give customers more control of their bills.

Affordable: The affordability provisions in Michigan’s energy construct have helped utilities continue ensuring customers’ bills are affordable for all customers. The law promotes affordability through the following:

1. It continues and expands the energy efficiency programs that have already saved Michigan customers more than $1 billion since 2009. These programs give customers more control over their energy bills along with simple ways to reduce their bills.

2. Michigan laws require owners of private solar installations and out of state developers, pay an equitable contribution for their use of Michigan’s electric grid. This reduces subsidies that was given to owners of private solar by funding it on the backs of all utility customers.

3. Finally, the law addresses a simple principle – customers should only pay for what they use. The law will help better ensure fairness in Michigan’s partial deregulation system by helping to ensure everyone pays their fair share of capacity.

Clean: The state enacted a clean energy plan in 2023 that among other things, establishes a 100% clean energy standard for Michigan. By 2040, Michigan will produce all its energy from clean sources.

Please indicate your support or opposition to the following questions:

Statement A: Allowing out of state competition and choice for electricity drives down prices for everyone and lets the free market work. We should allow companies other than Michigan’s utilities that have a monopoly to supply electricity because it means Michigan electricity rates will go lower allowing businesses to create more jobs.

Statement B: Michigan utilities are responsible for maintaining and modernizing the state’s energy grid. If we allow customers to shop around for lower electricity rates, fewer customers will pay their share to ensure Michigan has a reliable, safe energy grid that meets the state’s energy needs. Everyone in Michigan has a responsibility to pay their fair share guaranteeing Michigan has a reliable energy grid.

Question #4 - Which statement do you agree with more, A or B?(Required)

Question #5 - Do you support policies which promote utility investment in hardening the grid and responding to storm events?(Required)

Yes

Question #6 - Do you support policies that require all of Michigan’s energy providers – including deregulated energy marketers – to flexibly and cost-effectively plan to ensure Michigan has sufficient electric generation to meet our needs, so that we can avoid the possibility of rolling blackouts by not having sufficient electric supply?(Required)

Yes

Question #7 - Do you support keeping natural gas as part of the state’s diversified cleaner energy mix as more coal plants are being decommissioned so the state will have reliable 24/7 power?(Required)

Yes

Question #8 - Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is one of the essential components for mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and will play a key role in global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas.

CCUS technologies capture CO2 emissions from large point sources and are transported away and stored or turned into useful products. Capturing CO2 has been used for decades but pioneering new technologies mean we can now remove and sequester CO2 indefinitely.

Do you believe that carbon capture can play an important part in the future of Michigan providing customers with reliable power while at the same time reducing CO2 emissions?(Required)

Yes

Question #9 - The Texas electricity market is deregulated and power producers and energy marketers have little to no incentive to invest in the state’s electric system to maintain reliability or to modernize it. Prior storms in Texas led to a devastating failure of the electric system causing power outages to millions of people and hundreds of deaths. After a series of investigations, reports cited under investing in the electric system as a major cause for the system failure by not properly investing and modernizing the system.

Do you think Michigan should deregulate its energy market that could lead to underinvestment and reliability issues in our State?(Required)

Yes

Question #10 - Do you support policies that make sure Michigan keeps energy efficiency programs to reduce waste and keep energy affordable?(Required)

Yes

Question #11 - Do you support CEME educational programs like MILowerBills designed to provide information to residents and small businesses on how to help save energy, money and receive bill paying assistance?(Required)

Yes

ABOUT THE APPLICANT

Primary Campaign Contact Name(Required)

Address(Required)

City(Required)

State(Required)

Phone

Zip(Required)

Email(Required)

Candidate Committee Name

Committee Address

Office Sought

Ward or district number

Prior office experience (Please list any elected or appointed government offices that you have held or currently hold)

Do you have a personal or professional relationship with an energy provider or economic development group? If yes, please describe.

Prior office experience (Please list any elected or appointed government offices that you have held or currently hold)(Required)

Please list any civic, philanthropic or charitable groups in your community in which you are involved (e.g. Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, Rotary, Band Boosters, etc.)

Do you have a personal or professional relationship with an energy provider or economic development group? If yes, please describe.

Please list any civic, philanthropic or charitable groups in your community in which you are involved (e.g. Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, Rotary, Band Boosters, etc.)

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