Kevin Knobloch, President of the Union of Concerned Scientists was in Grand Rapids and will be in Kalamazoo tonight to ask people to vote in favor of Proposition 3. In an essay Knobloch called it "the most important clean energy vote this year".
If passed, Prop 3 would require utility companies to get 25-percent of the energy they supply from renewable sources by the year 2025.
Knobloch warns of the dangers of remaining reliant on fossil fuels. Most of Michigan's energy comes from coal that’s imported from other states.
But Knobloch also touted the potential boon to Michigan’s economy if utilities are forced to invest in wind and solar projects.
“You have it all here. You have a skilled high quality workforce that knows its way around both advanced technology and heavy manufacturing. You have tremendous leadership and you have tremendous renewable capacity,” Klobloch said.
He says 17 other states already have a renewable standard that’s greater than 20-percent.
Opponents of Prop three worry it would cause a big spike in people’s electric bills. They also argue such a mandate should be signed into law through the legislative branch rather than amending the state constitution.
