Power Up, Michigan!
Fix the Grid
Michigan’s average power restoration time is over eight hours–the 4th worst in the country. That’s unacceptable. Utility companies continue to raise rates, but they fail time and time again when it comes to reliability and restoration speed.
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Our restoration problems are caused by underinvestment in undergrounding powerlines, vegetation management, and grid modernization. We can power up Michigan by evaluating the performance of our utility companies in addressing these issues. Utilities receive increased return on equity if they overperform, and Michiganders receive rebates if utilities underperform.
Energy
Abundance
Michiganders pay more than the national average for residential and commercial use per kilowatt hour, despite the fact that our incomes lag the country. This means Michiganders spend higher shares of their incomes on electricity bills.
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The industries of the twenty-first century require high amounts of energy. To supply these industries and keep up with residential demand, we must increase energy capacity and supply. This means growing the hydrogen economy, reviving existing nuclear plants, creating small modular reactors, incentivizing individualized solar generation, embracing agrivoltaics, and investing in enhanced geothermal systems.
Build Roads Made to Last
For decades, politicians have promised to fix the roads. During election season, potholes miraculously get filled. Orange barrels go up. But does anything fundamentally change?
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In a state with freezing and thawing, high weight limits on trucks, and increasingly common severe storms, we should spend now to save later. If we want Michigan roads to last more than a few years, we must be willing to invest in preventative maintenance. In the short term, this will cost extra. But in the long term, we will save money with lower needs for constant vehicle and road repairs.