State Legislature

Ag businesses support mandatory energy efficiency

The Michigan Agri-Business Association is calling for mandatory energy efficiency requirements of the state’s utilities.  President Jim Byrum tells Brownfield the agricultural industry is concerned the programs will be phased out.

“These are very real programs, very meaningful, and frankly should be encouraged.”

Michigan’s energy policy is being reviewed by state legislators and agribusiness leaders including Byrum are urging lawmakers to maintain the state’s energy efficiency standard. “We engaged with them over the past couple years and if we hadn’t engaged and hadn’t had a requirement that they pursue energy efficiency—we don’t believe that we would see some of the programs that we’ve seen.”

He says every utility bill includes an amount that funds energy efficiency programs and the mandatory requirement ensures those funds are used.  “Monopolies, as a utility is, will do certain things but they’ll only do those things if they’re required to do them.”

Byrum says some of his members have saved as much as $100,000 per year after implementing energy efficiency measures. “The programs that we’ve had in place with the utilities have included things like cost share for soft start motors, cost share for more efficient aeration in grain facilities, and more efficient movement systems—whether it be conveyers, augurs, whatever it may be.”

The Michigan Agri-Business Association and 12 other agribusiness leaders recently sent a letter to legislators encouraging maximum energy efficiency in updated standards.

AUDIO: Interview with Jim Byrum