By Joseph Parnell McCarter
Per Google AI, here are the top 10 states with the largest % electric generation now from coal:
- West Virginia : 85.70%
- Wyoming: 67.33%
- Kentucky: 64.61%
- Missouri: 63.37%
- North Dakota: 60.28%
- Nebraska: 53.18%
- Utah: 48.87%
- Indiana: 44.40%
- Montana: 41.92%
- Kansas: 39.67%
Per Google AI, here is the cost per KWh by state of electricity in descending order:
- Hawaii: 39.74 ¢/kWh
- California: 33.60 ¢/kWh
- Massachusetts: 31.37 ¢/kWh
- Rhode Island: 31.16 ¢/kWh
- Maine: 29.42 ¢/kWh
- Connecticut: 27.72 ¢/kWh
- New Hampshire: 27.27 ¢/kWh
- New York: 26.95 ¢/kWh
- Alaska: 26.46 ¢/kWh
- Vermont: 24.78 ¢/kWh
- Maryland: 22.30 ¢/kWh
- New Jersey: 22.55 ¢/kWh
- Pennsylvania: 20.49 ¢/kWh
- Michigan: 20.46 ¢/kWh
- Illinois: 18.74 ¢/kWh
- Wisconsin: 18.37 ¢/kWh
- Delaware: 18.31 ¢/kWh
- Ohio: 17.85 ¢/kWh
- Indiana: 17.34 ¢/kWh
- Alabama: 16.72 ¢/kWh
- Minnesota: 16.37 ¢/kWh
- Virginia: 16.36 ¢/kWh
- Colorado: 16.26 ¢/kWh
- West Virginia: 16.19 ¢/kWh
- Oregon: 16.16 ¢/kWh
- Texas: 16.11 ¢/kWh
- Florida: 15.70 ¢/kWh
- South Carolina: 15.64 ¢/kWh
- Arizona: 15.55 ¢/kWh
- Kansas: 15.16 ¢/kWh
- Wyoming: 15.11 ¢/kWh
- North Carolina: 15.05 ¢/kWh
- New Mexico: 14.93 ¢/kWh
- Georgia: 14.53 ¢/kWh
- Mississippi: 14.47 ¢/kWh
- Oklahoma: 14.42 ¢/kWh
- Montana: 14.27 ¢/kWh
- South Dakota: 14.09 ¢/kWh
- Washington: 14.06 ¢/kWh
- Nevada: 13.77 ¢/kWh
- Utah: 13.69 ¢/kWh
- Kentucky: 13.62 ¢/kWh
- Iowa: 13.48 ¢/kWh
- Arkansas: 13.26 ¢/kWh
- Nebraska: 13.13 ¢/kWh
- Tennessee: 13.06 ¢/kWh
- Missouri: 12.95 ¢/kWh
- North Dakota: 12.82 ¢/kWh
- Idaho: 12.46 ¢/kWh
- Louisiana: 12.39 ¢/kWh
All of the top 10 states with the largest % electric generation from coal have lower electric costs per KWh than Michigan, and in general it is blue Democrat states that have the highest electric costs per KWh, with the Net Zero agenda being a salient characteristic of these blue Democrat states, even it is with many European nations which have also been duped into following the Net Zero agenda.
When Consumers Energy executives say coal costs more and so the Campbell needs to be closed, they are simply lying. The reason it costs more is because of the way they are mismanaging their coal electric generation, contrasted with the way many red states are properly managing it. The Consumers Energy monopoly, at the behest of the Democrat-led MPSC, is wasting lots of money and valuable Michigan farmland in pursuit of the Net Zero agenda, and in the process not utilizing Campbell electric generation in the prudent way red states are using it. They are ripping customers off, and in return we get more expensive, unreliable electric from solar and wind in the vain attempt for it to become our baseload electric. The Net Zero agenda is misguided by global warming and carbon dioxide alarmism unjustified by climate data.
Republican Ottawa County should not allow ourselves to be held hostage by the many Democrat voters on the east side of the state, but should pursue more local control of our electric grid with the help of the Trump Administration. Already three cities in Ottawa County have more local control, and their electric utility rates are significantly below that of Consumers Energy.
I urge the County Board and the other township boards to join the seven township boards which already have officially called for an exploratory committee to investigate getting local control via a local electric cooperative for those parts of Ottawa County currently with Consumers Energy.