Several Democrats joined Republicans to back the RICE Generator bills, protect U.P. energy production

State Rep. Karl Bohnak on Tuesday spearheaded the committee passage of his plan to keep the Upper Peninsula’s 13 Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine (RICE) generators operational through the end of their lifecycle in 2049. If the RICE generators are shut down early, U.P. ratepayers face significant monthly bill increases – $80 for residential properties and more than $470,000 for large industrial facilities – in addition to normal energy bills.

The plan, House Bills 4007 and 4283, passed the House Energy Committee with bipartisan support. The bills would largely exempt the RICE generators, the energy they produce, and U.P. energy suppliers from the new clean energy mandates through 2049 when the RICE generators are scheduled to be taken offline. Without the legislation, RICE generators will be forced offline early, leaving ratepayers to foot the bill for the shuttered generators and whatever renewable energy production is built to fill the vacuum.

“What may seem like a relatively minor legislative oversight for downstate politicians will lead to an energy apocalypse for the Upper Peninsula,” said Bohnak, R-Deerton. “I appreciate my Democrat colleagues who supported this common-sense plan. Our RICE generators should’ve been exempted during the initial passage of these clean energy standards. That didn’t happen, and it put the entire U.P. at risk. Our plan rights that wrong and ensures residents aren’t paying for an early retirement for RICE generators.”

The RICE generators were built to stabilize the U.P.’s energy grid following the decommissioning of the Presque Isle and Shiras coal power plants in 2019. Since the RICE generators came online, the U.P. has reduced its CO2 emissions by more than 70%.

“Our RICE generators were built with long-term clean energy production in mind,” Bohnak said. “Six years ago, energy producers in the U.P. chose to be a leader in clean energy and shut down our coal-powered plants in favor of the cleaner RICE generators. Unfortunately, those thoughtful decisions weren’t considered when clean energy standards were passed two years ago. However, the bipartisan support we received today gives me hope. The entire U.P. delegation stands united in our efforts to ensure reliable and affordable U.P. energy production is safeguarded for decades to come.”

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