In 2008, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm proclaimed her state was ready to be the Silicon Valley of clean energy. The two-term Democrat later issued an order making the permitting process more difficult for coal plants, a move that was followed by almost all of Michigan's proposed coal generators being canceled by companies or denied by the state. At the same time, she pressed for now-in-place wind and solar tax credits and the implementation of a planned regional accord to control greenhouse gases. Now, those energy initiatives are up in the air.
Granholm is leaving office because of term limits, and several of her potential successors are vowing to jump-start new coal plants and take the state in the opposite direction on renewable energy and climate change.
"I'm hugely concerned," said Kerry Duggan of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters about the impact of the November election.
Michigan is not alone in its political shuffle.
The Great Lakes region is facing a potential 180-degree turn on energy and climate, with the governor's races in Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois ranked as tossups or "lean Republican" by analysts such as the Cook Political Report. Iowa, which abuts both Michigan and Illinois, also is in a too-close-to-call contest.
With the exception of Minnesota, all of the six states currently are led by Democrats. Considering that these states have some of the best wind resources in the country, a heavy reliance on coal and a manufacturing base that makes everything from solar panels to sedans, the next set of governors could make a huge dent in the region's future emissions.
They also will play a key role in implementing federal climate policy on the ground level if a national cap on emissions passes in the U.S. Congress.
"It matters a lot what happens in these states, particularly since we don't know what the federal government is going to do in terms of climate," said Vicki Arroyo, executive director of the Georgetown University State-Federal Climate Resource Center.
In many of the Midwestern governor's races, candidates sitting at the top of the polls are opposed to legislative and regulatory measures backed by the current governor.
