This is a guest post from the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, AEE’s state partner.

On June 4, the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council (Michigan EIBC) and Institute for Energy Innovation (IEI) held the first in a series of gubernatorial candidate roundtables in Michigan. The business leaders from Michigan EIBC and AEE sat down with former senator Gretchen Whitmer to discuss energy policy. Whitmer, of Lansing, is the former Ingham County prosecuting attorney and minority leader of the Michigan Senate. Michigan EIBC has reached out to all of the major party candidates to request similar off-the-record briefings, and we look forward to additional meetings in the coming weeks. 

The conversation focused on the strength of the advanced energy industry in Michigan, which represents 92,200 workers and includes Michigan EIBC’s 115 member companies.  Michigan EIBC believes that Michigan’s next governor can harness the economic power of the advanced energy industry, support Michigan’s economy, solidify the state’s leadership in mobility, and put quality jobs at the heart of a vision for a forward-looking energy future. In the meeting with Whitmer, the business leaders expressed their commitment to economic development in Michigan and stressed that investment in advanced energy can contribute to job growth, lower electric bills for Michigan ratepayers, and infrastructure investment in communities hosting renewable energy sites.