Michigan Governor Urges action on renewable Energy bills

Governor Jennifer Granholm wants the Legislature to pass bills in March requiring that 10 percent of electricity be from renewable resources by 2016. She said at least two dozen other states have such a standard and are attracting the jobs Michigan needs.

The utilities say they need legislative changes before they build multibillion-dollar power plants -- either coal-fired or nuclear plants -- whose costs would be passed onto customers. They argue that, without laws limiting how many of their customers could look to other energy sources, they would not be able to get the loans they need to build the new plants.