By: Rep. Donavan McKinney
The time to act is NOW!
The way I see it, we can either keep complaining about climate change, or do something about it. Climate change isn’t going anywhere, but I have always believed that where there are challenges, there are opportunities. The problem is that extreme weather events — like the ones that wreaked havoc on our state in August — are overwhelming our aging infrastructure and causing tremendous damage to our communities. And not surprisingly, the communities that are affected the worst are the ones that can least afford it. They do not have adequate resources to either rebuild or defend themselves for the next time.
The solution, or at least a large part of it, is to invest in Michigan’s clean energy future. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, along with myself, and many of my colleagues in the Legislature, agree that Michigan should be a leader in the transition to clean energy. We must recognize that if we don’t adapt to this new environmental reality, we only have ourselves to blame for what comes next.
Believe it or not, in the spirit of adapting to this new reality, the transition to clean energy has already brought several opportunities, including creating many good-paying union jobs right here in Michigan. For example, clean energy companies employed nearly 120,000 Michiganders by the end of 2021. Most of these jobs are in manufacturing (57%) and construction (21.7%). Clean energy jobs pay up to 25% more than the national median wage. Since August 2022, Michigan has seen more than $20 billion in investments in clean energy projects, powering the creation of more than 13,500 jobs.
These added jobs help strengthen our economy. They require specialized skills and investments in new technology. This kind of transformation can attract new businesses to our communities, which will increase tax revenues for local governments and create new opportunities for our residents. Attracting clean jobs to Michigan will also help to reduce dependence on foreign countries and improve the resiliency of our supply chain.
Like I said, climate change isn’t going anywhere, and we must face that fact. There is definitely something we can do about it right now to better prepare ourselves for what is happening. We must continue exploring the possibilities of new technologies and emerging innovation in production as we redirect the future of clean energy for Michigan.
We are committed to doing the best and smartest thing that helps Michigan maintain our energy independence. We will adapt to our changing environment and adjust how we live to pass on to our children the quality of life we all deserve.
Clean energy is good for all of us as it creates healthier communities for us to thrive and live in. Clean energy systems can reduce harmful exposure to the sort of dangerous pollutants that extreme weather can cause. Also, clean energy is less expensive than fossil fuels. Residents who across our state will benefit from lower energy bills once we mitigate the constant impact of power outages. Since power outages are not cheap to fix, those expenses are passed along to each of us as consumers. A cleaner system will also be more affordable both in the long and short term.
We can either keep complaining about climate change or we can change how we live with clean energy. All in all, the choice is ours. We have the power to build a better future. So, let’s do it!
Rep. Donavan McKinney represents Michigan’s 14th House District, which includes parts of northeast Detroit, Warren, and the City of Centerline.