New independent analysis from 5 Lakes Energy, commissioned by Evergreen Action, shows that rolling back Michigan’s clean energy standard and energy waste reduction targets (adopted in 2023) would increase energy costs for Michigan families, eliminate jobs, and weaken the state’s economy.
Michigan’s clean energy standard and energy efficiency targets are projected to help manage costs and drive economic growth. Repealing them is not an energy affordability solution; in fact, it would take Michigan backward, leading to higher electricity bills, fewer jobs, and worse health outcomes. It would lead to $5.6 billion in higher electricity costs statewide between 2026 and 2050. At a time when federal actions are constraining new energy supply and driving up costs—including forcing ratepayers to cover more than $615,000 per day for a coal plant the Michigan Public Service Commission has said is not needed for reliability—rolling back Michigan’s state-level policies would only make things worse.
Repeal Raises Energy Costs for Michigan by $1,360 per Household
Repealing Michigan’s clean energy standard and energy waste reduction targets would increase electricity costs for households across the state. Even in the near term, households would see meaningful increases in their monthly electricity bills from repeal, with costs continuing to rise significantly over time.
Projected Cumulative Increase in Household Electricity Costs1
~$204 per household between 2026-2035
~$627 per household between 2026-2040
~$1,360 per household between 2026-2050
Projected Cumulative Increase in Electricity Costs Across All Michigan Households
$843 million between 2026-2035
$2.6 billion between 2026-2040
$5.6 billion between 2026-2050
Repeal Destroys Thousands of Jobs Across the State
Clean energy targets drive job creation by attracting investment in new energy infrastructure, strengthening local supply chains, and supporting jobs across construction, manufacturing, and operations. Analysis shows that rolling them back would lead to significant job losses.
Projected Cumulative Job Losses from Repeal
53,000 job-years lost by 2030
250,000 job-years lost by 2035
572,000 job-years lost by 2050
Each job-year represents one full-time job for one year, showing the total scale of jobs lost over time. These losses include direct energy jobs, supply chain jobs, and local jobs from increased economic activity due to these industries. Repeal would undermine workforce growth and economic opportunity across Michigan.
Billions Lost in Economic Growth (GDP)
Repeal would significantly reduce the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or the total value of everything Michigan’s economy produces and earns, leading to slower growth and fewer opportunities across the state.
Cumulative GDP Losses from Repeal
$7.7 billion lost by 2030
$35 billion lost by 2035
$73 billion lost by 2050
Repeal Causes Worse Public Health Outcomes
Michigan’s clean energy policies are reducing air pollution from power plants. Repealing them would increase emissions and harm public health, driving up costs through higher healthcare spending, lost productivity, and premature deaths.
Premature Deaths
275 additional premature deaths by 2035
3,200 additional premature deaths by 2050
Economic Value of Health Impacts: The monetized benefit from avoided deaths resulting from particulate pollution, calculated using the EPA’s Value of a Statistical Life. These values do not include monetization of other adverse health impacts such as hospital admissions, respiratory conditions, nonfatal heart attacks, or lost work days.
$2.3 billion in lost health savings by 2035
$26.9 billion in lost health savings by 2050
About the Analysis
This fact sheet is based on new independent modeling conducted by 5 Lakes Energy examining the impacts of repealing Michigan’s clean energy standard and energy waste reduction targets. Modeling was conducted using the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), developed by Energy Innovation. The EPS is an economy-wide system dynamics model that forecasts the impacts of changes in energy policy on emissions, the energy system, the broader economy, and public health.
Evergreen is leading the fight to put bold climate action at the top of America’s agenda. We’re building the ambitious, actionable policy roadmap for an all-out mobilization to defeat climate change—and to create millions of jobs in a thriving, just, and inclusive clean energy future.
Author – Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund
The NRDC Action Fund is an affiliated but separate organization from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, the NRDC Action Fund engages in various advocacy and political activities for which the Natural Resources Defense Council, a 501(c)(3) organization, faces certain legal limitations or restrictions.
