Polling shows strong support for clean energy among Michiganders amid state and federal GOP pushback

Yahoo

25-02-2025

Solar panels in Meridian Township | Susan J.Demas
With Gov. Gretchen Whitmer introducing her MI Healthy Climate Plan in 2022 and Democrats setting a goal of 100% clean energy by 2035, Michigan's leaders — and its voters — have shown strong support for efforts to shift to green energy sources.
According to recent polling from Data For Progress, a progressive think tank, and Evergreen Action, an advocacy group focused on climate action, 62% of Michiganders support the state's clean energy standard while 34% stood in opposition. From Jan. 28 to Jan. 30, Data For Progress surveyed 566 likely voters who responded to a web panel. The sample was weighted to represent likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography and recalled presidential vote. Participants were sorted based on self-identified party affiliation, not party registration. The survey's margin of error is four percentage points, though Data For Progress notes this may be higher for the subgroups.
Courtney Brady, Evergreen Action's Midwest deputy director, said the 2024 election sent shockwaves across the country, and with media coverage muddling the view of where voters stand on energy issues, the survey aims to understand where the average voter — particularly independents — stands post election.
Support for 100% clean energy by 2035 was particularly strong among Democrats, according to the poll, with 85% saying they somewhat or strongly supported a full transition to clean energy over the next decade.
The state's clean energy efforts also saw support from 61% of independents and 42% of Republicans.
Alongside placing a clean energy standard into state law, Michigan officials have worked to leverage business opportunities heralded by the shift to green energy, as well as supporting workers whose jobs could be displaced as industries transition away from fossil fuels.
According to the poll, 79% of all voters surveyed either somewhat, or strongly support policies that will create clean energy and manufacturing jobs. Party-line support comes in at 93% of Democrats, 78% of independents and 68% of Republicans.
Multiple reports from the communications firm Climate Power have pointed to Michigan's status as a clean energy leader, securing more clean energy projects than any other state following former President Joe Biden's efforts to boost renewables and support electric vehicle manufacturing through federal subsidies, spurring at least 751 projects across the nation.
However, with President Donald Trump pledging to eliminate Biden's climate and energy policies, and the Trump administration blocking climate spending, the future of many programs is uncertain.
Following a presentation of Whitmer's fiscal year 2026 executive budget proposal, Phil Roos, the director of Michigan's Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy, told reporters that federal funding was vital to its programming, totaling about $500 million across the department with a good chunk of those funds being put toward energy transition efforts.
Alongside support and buy-in for clean energy efforts, the permitting and build out of clean energy efforts is vital as the state aims to hit its clean energy goals.
Overall 73% of voters said it was important to make it easier for new clean energy projects to be built, according to the poll. While 87% of Democrats said it was important for clean energy projects to receive easy approval for construction, Republicans and independents showed smaller majorities, with 68% of independents and 65% of Republicans' agreeing it is important.
As part of the Democrats' clean energy package, lawmakers approved two bills seeking to streamline permitting for large-scale renewable energy projects.
The bills place permitting for solar energy developments with a capacity of 50 megawatts or more; wind facilities with 100 megawatts or more; and energy storage facilities with a capacity of 50 megawatts or more and a discharge capacity of 200 megawatts or greater — under the control of the Michigan Public Service Commission, the state's energy regulator.
However, Republicans called the effort a power grab, arguing the bills stripped permitting authority away from Michigan communities.
The final version of the law requires energy developers to work with municipalities whose permitting process mirrors the state's, giving the parties 120 days to reach an agreement with the potential for an 120 day extension.
However, if the community fails to approve or deny an application in a timely manner, if the local zoning process is stricter than the standards outlined in the law, or if a project meets the standards outlined in the law but is denied, then the developer can submit a permitting application to the Public Service Commission.
In the House, members of the new Republican majority have already introduced an effort to repeal these changes, with Rep. Gregory Alexander's (R-Carsonville) House Bills 4027 and 4028.
Additionally, 72 townships and seven counties have filed a suit to block the public service commission from implementing the new zoning law.
While Republicans and the opposition have made repeated attempts to get the zoning changes off the books, a referendum attempting to repeal the law failed to get enough signatures to make the 2024 and the 2026 ballot, while previous bills aiming to eliminate the permitting changes also failed, Brady said.
'People want to make it easier to site these things. They want to see the investment come. They want people to be able to do what they want with their land, and they want the job creation, and also, later down the road, cheaper energy costs because we're integrating more resources into the grid,' Brady said.
'I think there's a big mismatch between what the loudest opposition, minor opposition, is saying, and really what the reality is for voters,' she said.
Alongside questions on the state's clean energy laws, the survey asked voters about several efforts to support individuals facing high energy costs, transition gas-powered vehicles to electric vehicles as well as their frustrations with the state's electricity utility companies.
In addition to their support for the state's clean energy goal, the survey found a majority of voters also supported expanding Michigan's home repair program — which can lower energy costs by $145 per year by making them more energy efficient — and its program offering rebates for energy efficiency improvements, which is expected to launch in March.
Michigan voters also broadly supported efforts to support electric vehicles, with 58% in favor of the legislature taking action to expand EV chargers across the state, while 57% supported expanding rebates and other financial assistance for purchasing electric vehicles.
The legislature should also take action to help Michigan schools leverage federal funds to replace aging school buses with new electric models, according to 64% of voters surveyed. Additionally, 75% of voters surveyed supported efforts to improve and upgrade public transit in the state, as well as expanding access to buses and light rail.
Environmental justice was also a strong value for many of the voters surveyed, with 79% agreeing the state should prioritize action to address pollution in areas that face a higher burden.
The poll also highlighted Michiganders' frustrations with energy companies in the state, with Michigan rated among the worst in the nation for energy reliability, according to a report from the Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, which advocates for the state's energy consumers.
Voters demanded greater transparency from their utility companies, with 85% saying they would support legislative action requiring companies to be more transparent in their decisions to respond to and prevent power outages. They also sought greater transparency on the general decision making within these companies, with 83% in support.
The voters also generally agreed there is more action the Legislature could be taking, with 64% saying lawmakers should be doing more to ensure energy companies are keeping costs affordable, while 51% said they should be doing more to protect the state power grid from severe weather, which has caused several lengthy outages across the state. Forty-eight percent said legislators should be doing more to ensure these companies aren't taking action to delay the adoption of clean energy.