State Rep. Karl Bohnak on Wednesday voted to keep the Upper Peninsula’s 13 Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine (RICE) generators operational through the end of their lifecycle in 2049. The plan, sponsored by Bohnak, passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support.

“To keep our mines open to produce the metals our country needs, we must keep the RICE units going through their expiration date in 2050,” said Bohnak, R-Deerton. “Without reliable, affordable energy provided by the RICE units, the Upper Peninsula will be forced to deindustrialize, which will result in drastic depopulation. My plan would protect U.P. energy production and maintain our 175-year-old mining industry.”

The legislation, House Bills 4007 and 4283, would largely exempt the RICE generators, the energy they produce, and U.P. energy suppliers from the new “clean energy” mandates through 2049 when the RICE generators are scheduled to be taken offline. If the RICE generators are shut down early, U.P. ratepayers face significant monthly bill increases – $80 for residential properties and more than $470,000 for large industrial facilities – in addition to normal energy bills. The Tilden Iron Mine would face monthly payments of more than $15 million.

The RICE generators were built to stabilize the U.P.’s energy grid following the decommissioning of the Presque Isle and Shiras coal power plants in 2019. Since the RICE generators came online, the U.P. has reduced its CO2 emissions by more than 70%.

The plan now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

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