Burning Coal, Burning Cash

In 2008, Michigan imported all the coal used by its power plants, resulting in an economic drain of $1.36 billion. The state's electricity generation relied on coal for over 60% of its needs, with Detroit Edison's Monroe facility identified as the most import-dependent plant. To reduce this dependence and stimulate the local economy, the document advocates for investments in energy efficiency and homegrown renewable energy, noting that Michigan has the technical potential to produce nearly twice its 2008 electricity needs from renewables, primarily wind and bioenergy.

• Michigan's total expenditure on coal imports in 2008 was $1.36 billion, as the state imported all the coal its power plants burned, primarily from Montana, Kentucky, and Wyoming.
• Detroit Edison, the largest electricity provider in Michigan, accounted for more than half of the state's total coal imports, spending $781 million. Its Monroe facility was the most import-dependent plant in the state, spending $379 million in 2008 and ranking as the seventh-largest source of carbon dioxide emissions among hundreds of coal plants in the US.
• In 2008, coal provided 60.3% of Michigan's in-state electricity generation. Nationally, Michigan ranked 5th in net weight of coal imports (36 million tons), 7th in spending on net imports, and 9th in dependence on net imports as a share of total power use.
• Michigan has the technical capacity to generate nearly double its 2008 electricity requirements through renewable energy, specifically wind and bioenergy. The state requires utilities to source at least 10% of power from renewables by 2015.
• Michigan lacked a ratepayer-funded electricity efficiency program in 2007, but in 2008 it began requiring utilities to reduce annual electricity use, targeting a 1% annual savings by 2012.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2010). Burning Coal, Burning Cash. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Michigan.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Burning Coal, Burning Cash. 2010. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Michigan.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Burning Coal, Burning Cash |date=May 2010 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Michigan.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2010burning, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Burning Coal, Burning Cash}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2010}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/UCS-BCBC-factsheet-Michigan.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }