2023 MLC Energy and Environment Committee Meeting

In conjunction with the 77th Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Legislative Conference (MLC), the MLC Energy and Environment Committee will hold its 2023 Meeting on Sunday, July 9, in Detroit, Michigan. In addition to traditional committee business, this meeting will also include a presentation discussing state and provincial efforts in recent years to rebalance their electric energy sources by shifting to renewables. How is this affecting the regional Midwestern electric grid, and what should legislators know about the grid’s operation for policymaking and future legislation?

The committee will also host a joint general attendance session with the MLC Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee on Tuesday, July 11, on the Future of Farmland in the Midwest. State laws – some new, some longstanding – reflect concerns about the continued loss of farmland across the Midwest. There also are mounting pressures related to the push for renewable energy development in rural areas. This session will look at the loss of farmland as well as emerging ideas such as “agrivoltaics” that allow agricultural and solar production to co-exist.