Michigan Senate Committee to Highlight How Trump and GOP Congress are Making Energy More Expensive, Killing Jobs

Lansing, Mich. — The Senate Energy & Environment Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing at 2 p.m. this afternoon to highlight how federal policies under the Trump Administration are driving up energy costs and killing clean energy jobs in Michigan.

“Every time we turn around, the Trump Administration and its MAGA allies in Congress are taking another action to kill clean energy on behalf of their Big Oil patrons,” said Climate Power senior advisor Jesse Lee. “Forcing dirty coal plants to stay open at a staggering cost to ratepayers, eliminating clean energy tax credits through the GOP’s budget bill, tariffs that are driving up costs for residents and businesses, and waging an illegal war in Iran that threatens to raise energy costs even more – it’s a continuous assault on Michigan residents’ pocketbooks and it has to stop.”

Michigan’s Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Whitmer fought to approve a landmark state clean energy plan that adds even more clean, less expensive energy to the grid. And Attorney General Dana Nessel is continuing the fight, challenging a wide range of illegal anti-clean energy actions by the Trump Administration, pushing back on the outrageous rate hike requests from Michigan’s investor-owned utilities, and taking on the Big Oil companies for conspiring with the Trump Administration to kill the clean energy industry.

“It’s unfortunate that Trump and his supporters, including Congressman Tom Barrett, are working so hard to kill affordable clean energy in Michigan,” said East Lansing homeowner Ann Siegle. “Ending the federal tax credits that enabled us to install solar panels on the roof of our home — drastically lowering our electric bill — is a major setback for energy affordability and the future of our planet.”

Trump has called the affordability crisis a “hoax” and recently told the Detroit Economic Club that affordability is “a fake word by Democrats.” The people of Michigan overwhelmingly disagree and know the truth — in just one year, Trump and Congressional Republicans have made everything worse. 

1. Raising energy costs — Michigan utility rates have jumped 6% since Trump took office and Michigan’s two largest utility companies, DTE Electric and Consumers Energy, have requested some of the largest rate hikes in the state’s history. A new analysis by the Center for American Progress finds that nearly 4.2 million, or 82 percent, of Michigan’s electric customers will pay an additional $3 billion through 2028. These additional costs are on top of Michiganders shouldering an additional $160 per year on their energy bills by 2030 and $320 per year by 2035 due to the GOP’s budget bill.
2. Cutting jobs — In January, General Motors permanently laid off 1,100 workers at its Factory Zero plant in Detroit. Since President Trump’s election in November 2024, 22 clean energy projects in Michigan have been canceled, delayed, laid off staff, or lost federal funding, stalling 7,819 jobs and nearly $1.2 billion in investment. 
3. Ending  residential clean energy credits — Michiganders like Ann Siegle collectively saved more than $183 million with these tax credits in 2023 alone, which expired thanks to Trump and Tom Barrett.

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