LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s House Energy Committee voted on bills that would flip a 2023 Democratic law and return critical decision-making power on energy issues to local communities.

House Bills 4027 and 4028 ensure that energy-related decisions are made by local leaders who are directly accountable to residents.

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State Rep. Steve Frisbie (R-Battle Creek) cosponsored the legislation and said communities should be able to manage local energy policies without interference from the bureaucracy in Lansing. “This vote is an important step toward restoring that authority and respecting the voices of residents and officials who best understand their community’s needs,” Frisbie said. “Empowering communities to make their own choices about energy policy will lead to more effective solutions and greater community satisfaction.”

Democrats gave the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) full control over the approval process for large-scale renewable energy projects in local communities in 2023 when they passed their green deal energy package. Members of the MPSC serve six-year terms, and are appointed by the governor.

“When these oppressive laws first passed, I described the situation as ‘Democrats pressing their green boots into the throats of Northern Michigan.’” said Rep. Ken Borton (R-Gaylord). “The committee passage of these bills is the first step toward prying that boot off,” he said.

Local control is something GOP Speaker Pro Tem Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin) knows firsthand. She served as the  Martin Township Clerk for seven years. “Radical Democrats stripped a core function of local government and gifted it to a state board handcrafted by our left-wing governor,” Smit said, referring to the 2023 law. “The passage of these bills is a wonderful first step to restoring the local control that should’ve never been taken away in the first place.”