MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Turning Point USA held a panel discussion tonight at NMU, bringing together the five state legislative representatives from the Upper Peninsula.
It’s rare to find every state legislator in one place outside of the Capitol. Friday night’s panel discussion in Marquette was one such occasion. Senator Ed McBroom was joined by State House representatives Bohnak, Prestin, Markkanen, and Fairbairn, who all took the stage for a panel discussion on issues that are unique to the U.P.
“Question and answer sessions and just discussions, you know, about the issues that the U.P. faces, I think, are so important. I think it clears a lot of the divides; it gives the ability to talk to each other,” said Representative Dave Prestin.
One topic that kept coming up was energy. The state of Michigan has imposed some environmental restrictions that some say would cripple U.P. industry unless amended.
“All energy to power our grid must be carbon dioxide-free by 2040. And these R.I.C.E. units would have to start being shut down. And what would happen is, we would lose all our industry base here,” said representative Bohnak.
However, Bohnak and Prestin have introduced a bill that would solve this problem.
There are 13 of them here in the central peninsula that power our grid. They use natural gas, and the bill would keep these running until 2050,” said Representative Bohnak.
The U.P. legislative delegation is a united front. We may not have the population, but as Senator Ed McBroom pointed out, we do have a united voice in the Capitol.
“That’s why we link arms and go down to Lansing and say, Hey, the U.P. is here. We want to be a part of things. We want to drive things. Don’t get in our way.
