LANSING, MI. — State Rep. Pauline Wendzel, Chairwoman of the Michigan House Energy Committee, today advanced her Project Lighthouse energy reform package out of committee, moving the two-bill plan one step closer to a vote before the full House. 

House Bills 5710 and 5711, sponsored by Chair Wendzel and Rep. Pat Outman would repeal Michigan’s 2023 green energy mandates and restore affordability and reliability as the governing principles guiding the state’s energy planning process. 

“Michigan families are sick of being treated like an ATM for a broken system. They’re paying more and getting less,” Chair Wendzel said. “Project Lighthouse restores common sense to Michigan energy policy by putting affordability and reliability first. If a policy can’t keep the lights on and bills affordable, it shouldn’t be forced on the people paying the bill.” 

Project Lighthouse puts affordability and reliability back at the center of Michigan energy policy, requiring regulators to judge utility plans by whether customers can afford their bills and depend on the power they need. 

Project Lighthouse also rips out a hidden surcharge buried in Michigan utility bills: a roughly $2.1 million-a-year charge that funnels ratepayer money to outside advocacy groups intervening at the Public Service Commission. Most families have no idea they have been paying for it. The package ends the practice and returns millions of dollars in savings directly to the people footing the bill. 

“People pay their utility bills to keep the lights on, not to bankroll advocacy campaigns,” Chair Wendzel said. “This is a straightforward reform that puts ratepayers first.” 

Project Lighthouse now advances to the full House for consideration.