Where you live in Michigan makes a big difference when it comes to the price you pay for electricity, especially if you’re living in the Upper Peninsula. Turning on a light bulb there could cost you more than double than it would in the Lower Peninsula, and energy bills in the UP are expected to grow even bigger now that the power plant supplying most of the region’s electricity could be retired.Federal regulators have proposed a $97-million dollar annual rate increase for customers in the U-P to keep the plant online. State representatives say it’s a crisis that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later.
Current State speaks with Jeremiah Johnson, a professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources.
This segment is supported by Michigan State University's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. More news about the Great Lakes environment can be found at GreatLakesEcho.org and on Current State every Tuesday as part of our partnership.