Whitmer to give State of the State address amid population woes
(The Center Square) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will give her State of the State address tonight at 7,
Her sixth address comes as Michigan is “one of the nation’s poorest states” according to a new report from an Ann-Arbor based think tank that found Michigan’s economic status has fallen over the past 20 years and now ranks 39th in personal income per capita among the 50 states.
Whitmer has achieved several goals since her 2019 election, including rolling back the retiree tax, boosting the earned income tax credits and gun safety reform. She also signed into law bills expanding in-person early voting to nine days and allowing prepaid absentee ballots.
The second-term governor signed into law a 2050 carbon-neutral rule and a goal for 100% clean energy by 2040 as Michigan retires coal plants at a record rate.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration says renewables provided 12% of Michigan’s electricity net generation in 2022, and wind energy accounted for about two-thirds of that power.
Whitmer has backed an all-electric future, including ordering the state’s 8,000-vehicle fleet to be electric by 2040 and proposed $318 million of EV subsidies in the 2024 budget.
However, many consumers don’t want to drive EVs. Last week, Ford Motor Co. said its cutting it’s Ford Lightning F-150 production amid weak demand.
Michigan has fallen 1.9 million short of reaching its 2030 goal of 2 million EVs driving on roads by 2030 because of range anxiety, a sparse charging network, and a higher upfront cost than gas and diesel vehicles.
The EV transition has killed thousands of Michigan auto jobs via buyouts and layoffs from Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis because EVs require 30% less labor than making vehicles with internal combustion vehicles.
Michigan has lost more than 60,000 people since 2020 and a report estimates another 270,000 residents will leave by 2050 because of poor infrastructure, a slowing birth rate, and residents moving South to warmer weather. In 2023, U-Haul’s annual moving report ranked Michigan 46th for growth.
Since 2019, Michigan’s government has grown while population has shrunk. Michigan has added five new government agencies funded by a record $82 billion budget that one economist says is “unsustainable.”
That includes the Officer of Future Mobility and Electrification, Michigan’s High-Speed Internet Office, the Office of Rural Development, and the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential.
Another government agency will help people who lose their jobs as Michigan transitions from fossil fuels to clean energy in the auto, construction and energy sectors during the renewable energy transition.
State Rep. Jaime Greene, R-Richmond, says she hopes Whitmer will target affordable energy and fixing education and local roads in her address.
“It’s become very expensive to live in the state of Michigan,” Greene said in a statement. “We don’t have a lot of money in our pockets because we’re all paying more for groceries, gas, and bills. We all want to hear the governor’s ideas about how to make like more affordable.”
