U.P. Energy Task Force to meet March 13; public can comment through April 6

During an informal discussion session in February at the Portage Lake District Library in Houghton, U.P. Energy Task Force members Jennifer Hill, Marquette City Commissioner and contractor with Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, and Roman Sidortsov, Michigan Tech assistant professor of Energy, offer residents an update on the first phase of the UP Energy Task Force work on propane supply and transport. Michigan's residential propane use is the highest in the U.S. Hill and Sidortsov were not speaking on behalf of the Task Force but were relating information they have learned from being members of it. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

LANSING -- Members of the U.P. Energy Task Force will meet Friday, March 13, in Harris and Lansing to review a final technical report on propane availability in the Upper Peninsula and discuss a draft of the panel’s recommendations.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. with U.P. members of the Task Force in the Wolf Conference Room at the Island Resort and Casino, W399 Highway 2 and 41, in Harris, and Lansing-area members in the Lee Walker Conference Room on the atrium level of Constitution Hall, 525 West Allegan Street, Lansing. There will be a public comment period at both locations beginning at 11 a.m.

The Draft Recommendations of the Upper Peninsula Energy Task Force Part I - Propane Supply contains proposed actions the Governor, Legislature, and state agencies may consider pursuing to better track and anticipate supply and demand, minimize disruption impact, and provide a more cohesive plan for those who are disproportionately affected by high energy costs in the U.P.

This slide from the presentation at Portage Library lists some of the propane issues that could be included in the Task Force report. Click on photo for larger version. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

The draft document will be posted next week to the Task Force’s website, Michigan.gov/UPEnergyTaskForce.

Public comments on the recommendations section of the draft document can be submitted via email to EGLE-UPEnergy@Michigan.gov. All comments submitted through April 6 will be considered by the Task Force for possible inclusion in the final report, which is due to the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by April 17. The submission date was extended to allow for a longer public review period.

People who need special assistance to participate can contact Kimber Frantz at 517-284-5035 in advance of the meeting.

Gov. Whitmer’s Executive Order outlined specific goals for the U.P. Energy Task Force:

• Assess the U.P.’s overall energy needs and how they are being met.

• Formulate alternative solutions for meeting the U.P.’s energy needs, with a focus on security, reliability, affordability, and environmental soundness. This includes, but is not limited to, alternative means to supply the energy sources used by U.P. residents, and alternatives to those energy sources.

•  Identify and evaluate potential changes that could occur to energy supply and distribution in the U.P.; the economic, environmental, and other impacts of such changes; and alternatives for meeting the U.P.’s energy needs due to such changes.

The draft propane document is the first of two reports the U.P. Energy Task Force is to submit to the Governor. A full report on overall U.P. energy issues and alternatives is due March 31, 2021.

Follow the activities of the U.P. Energy Task Force at Michigan.gov/UPEnergyTaskForce.

Please send your comments regarding the work of the UP Energy Task Force to: EGLE-UPEnergy@Michigan.gov. Comments submitted via the above email address will be shared with all UP Energy Task Force members. Comments submitted will become part of the public record and subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.