State Rep. Mark Tisdel on Tuesday expressed his disappointment in the new, partisan energy laws signed by the governor, which will mandate a shift to less reliable power sources and raise electricity costs.

The bills would mandate 100% “clean” electricity production by 2040, requiring expensive construction of wind and solar power and leading to the closure of natural gas plants. The shift to less reliable power sources would increase the likelihood of blackouts and brownouts, and residents will see higher electricity bills to cover the costs of new equipment.

“Shocking new mandates will make electricity in our state unaffordable and unreliable for Michiganders,” said Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills. “These ill-advised new laws will jettison trustworthy power sources and demand costly investments — proliferating blackouts and hiking up electric bills. The economic and electrical setbacks under this legislation will take a toll on the Michigan families and businesses, and our state will lose people and jobs as a result.”

The “clean” energy mandates under the bills would effectively ban reliable natural gas plants, with an impractical exception only if a plant incorporates expensive, rare carbon capture technology. The final bills would also repeal a cap limiting electric rate increases for offsetting the cost of renewable standard compliance.

An expert analysis from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy projects that average monthly electric bills could nearly double under the legislation, and California, which adopted similar mandates in 2018, has seen rate increases dramatically outpace national increases. California has also started to backtrack on its energy mandates after widespread blackouts and brownouts.

Tisdel noted that the legislation fails to address the existing problems in Michigan’s electric grid, which has endured extensive power outages due to failures of the state’s distribution lines, especially in severe weather.

“I’m disappointed in this partisan legislation,” Tisdel said. “Instead of unworkable, expensive mandates, Republicans and Democrats should work together to help ease electricity costs and strengthen our power grid to reduce blackouts.”