The ballots have been tallied in Michigan and the state voted against a renewable energy initiative yesterday.

By an overwhelming majority (64 percent), Michigan will not be moving forward with its “25 by 2025″ proposal. Prop 3 was a state constitutional amendment that would require Michigan to generate 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.

Had the measure passed, Michigan’s electric utilities would have been under a strict deadline to start incorporating renewable sources–like wind, solar, biomass and hydropower–into the mix of retail energy sales.

The Huffington Post reported that Prop 3 was Michigan’s “second-most expensive ballot campaign this year after Proposal 2, a collective bargaining amendment.”

Vehemently opposed by the utility companies who funded a $23 million counter-campaign, the initiative was strongly supported within the state by environmental groups.  A coalition consisting of League of Conservation Voters, the American Wind Energy Association and the Green Tech Action Fund and others raised over $10 million for the “Michigan Energy, Michigan Jobs” campaign in support of Prop 3.

Michigan is only at about 4 percent renewable energy total output today but the state’s two largest utilities, Jackson-based Consumers Energy and Detroit-based DTE Energy, say they are on track to make the current 10 percent renewable energy goal over the next few years. Both companies have been investing in wind farms as well as purchasing wind power from other plants.

Original Article on AtisSun Solar Insider News

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