State Rep. Karl Bohnak on Tuesday testified before the House Energy Committee in support of his plan to secure the long-term sustainability of energy production in the Upper Peninsula.

The legislation, House Bill 4007, would exempt the U.P.’s 13 Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine (RICE) generators from sweeping green energy legislation passed in 2023. The Marquette City Commission recently voted unanimously in support of Bohnak’s plan.

“Our RICE generators play a vital role to our energy grid in the Upper Peninsula because of their reliability and affordability,” said Bohnak, R-Deerton. “With the green energy laws passed in the previous legislature soon taking effect, RICE generators will be forced to go offline. These shutdowns would happen well before the end of their natural life cycle and drastically raise energy prices for all U.P. residents and businesses. Shutting down our RICE generators will force employers, workers, and their families away from the U.P. We must continue to make the U.P. a better place to live, work, and raise a family. Without our RICE generators, that mission becomes impossible.”

The RICE generators were built to stabilize the U.P.’s energy grid following the decommissioning of the Presque Isle and Shiras coal power plants in 2019. The newly constructed generators have a lifecycle through 2050. While calculations vary, new energy laws could add tens of millions in additional costs for Upper Michigan Energy Resources customers if the RICE generators are taken offline.

State Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, recently introduced a companion bill, HB 4283, to support Bohnak’s legislation. Prestin, who joined Bohnak in testifying before the energy committee, has long been a supporter of keeping the RICE generators operational. Prestin’s plan would amend state law to reclassify the energy produced by the 13 RICE generators as renewable.

The plan to save the RICE generators remains in the Energy Committee awaiting a potential vote.

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