By: State Rep. Pauline Wendzel

Over the weekend, severe weather once again left large portions of our community without power. These outages are more than just an inconvenience—they’re dangerous, disruptive, and all too common. Michigan families deserve better. You deserve reliable and affordable electric service, and you’ve waited long enough.

For more than a decade, Lansing has ignored the root problems in our electric grid. After the ice storms in 2023, the Democrat chair of the energy committee went on tour—hosting town halls across the state, grabbing headlines, and promising action. But no bills were introduced. Nothing changed. And the problem wasn’t solved.

That ends now.

As Chair of the House Energy Committee, I’m taking action to help electric providers make the investments needed to modernize our grid, strengthen our infrastructure, and improve service—without raising rates on customers.

The issue:

When utilities pay property taxes on their infrastructure, those costs don’t come out of their profits—they’re passed directly onto customers through your electric bill. And when old, depreciated equipment is replaced with new infrastructure, the taxable value goes up—sometimes significantly—meaning you pay even more.

In other words, you’re paying higher rates, not for better service, but to cover higher taxes on equipment that should’ve been replaced years ago.

That extra money doesn’t go toward stronger poles, faster response times, or better equipment—it gets diverted to local property tax rolls. And while local governments rely on that revenue, it shouldn’t come at the expense of ratepayers who are simply asking for reliable service. We need a smarter approach—one that funds local priorities and helps keep electric bills in check.

That’s why this June, I’m introducing legislation to exempt replacement electric distribution infrastructure from property taxes and replace that revenue with a smarter, more stable tax system on new distribution infrastructure. This reform will free up hundreds of millions of dollars that can instead be invested directly into the distribution system—strengthening the grid and improving reliability without hiking your bill.

We’re done waiting. We’re done talking. House Republicans are taking action—to build a 21st-century electric grid that finally delivers for Michigan families.