Feed-in Tariff Presentation to Michigan House Commerce Committee

By Paul Gipe

 

Representative Kathleen Law and Paul Gipe made a presentation to the Commerce Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives on renewable energy feed-in tariffs September 16, 2008.

Committee Chair Andy Meisner scheduled the presentations as the single item of business for the committee.

Representative Law introduced the topic of feed-in tariffs and how they could be used to boost job development in the depressed Michigan economy. Gipe explained to the committee the role of feed-in tariffs in powering economic development in Europe, especially job creation in Germany’s booming renewable energy industry.

Discussion of feed-in tariffs in Michigan are expected to take front stage after passage of Governor Granholm’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) package on September 18, 2008. The Governor has publicly expressed support for feed-in tariffs to develop Michigan’s renewable energy industry, saying that they are the second step in her program. The first step had been the long-delayed RPS.