CEME QUESTIONNAIRE - Citizens Energizing Michigan's Economy

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SECTION 1

Economic Development Policy – 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’s 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: The 2016 state energy law created an energy market that has brought certainty for Michigan’s future energy needs. By passing the law, legislators helped to shape Michigan’s energy market, leading the way to ensure reliable power to meet the state’s energy needs for years to come. The law established key principles to provide reliable, affordable, safer and cleaner energy to Michigan residents and businesses. The key principles are:

Reliable: 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 and pave the way for more solar power and electric vehicles.

Affordable: The affordability provisions in the energy law 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. The law puts into place strict new state oversight to ensure all new generation is competitively bid and provides the best value for Michigan.

3. The law requires that owners of private solar installations pay an equitable contribution for their use of Michigan’s electric grid. This reduced a prior subsidy structure called net metering that was given to owners of private solar by funding it on the backs of all utility customers.

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

Clean: By reducing energy waste and increasing the amount of renewables in Michigan, we will maintain a clean, healthy environment and protect the natural resources we all cherish. Michigan’s energy law created incentives to further shift to cleaner energy resources. This balanced goal ensures Michigan will have reliable 24/7 power generation available, while moving the state to cleaner energy.

Please indicate your support or opposition to the following questions:

Question #4 - Do you support the key principles of the 2016 energy law?(Required)

Yes

If your answer is no, please explain.(Required)

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

Question #6 - 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. Recently, a set of 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 underinvesting 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 #7 - Michigan’s natural gas delivery infrastructure is aging. Do you support investing in upgrading the underground pipes that deliver natural gas to Michigan customers to improve public safety, enhance reliability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aging pipes?(Required)

Yes

Question #8 - Do you support new resources to rebuild Michigan’s aging infrastructure through Michigan-based companies using emerging technologies for increased reliability?(Required)

Yes

Question #9 - Do you support policies that make sure Michigan has a clean energy plan that includes programs to increase energy efficiency to reduce waste to keep energy affordable?(Required)

Yes

Question #10 - 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

Question #11 - Do you support the State of Michigan increasing the use of renewable energy by competitively bidding for the lowest cost renewable energy resources?(Required)

Yes

Question #12 - Do you believe that energy providers should offer voluntary renewable energy and programs to customers that provide affordable ways to reduce their carbon footprint and speed up the transition to a cleaner generation mix?(Required)

Yes

Question #13 - Do you support keeping natural gas as part of the state’s diversified cleaner energy mix as more fossil fuel plants are being decommissioned?(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.

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.)

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

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

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