The Latest: Michigan House passes energy bills on final day

LANSING, Mich. – The Latest on the Michigan Legislature’s final day of the two-year term. (all times local):

5:05 p.m.

The Michigan House has approved a rewrite of state energy laws on the final day of voting during the two-year term.

The Republican-led chamber voted Thursday to boost the required use of renewable sources of power and to keep intact some competition in the electricity market on the final day of the two-year term.

The bills, which passed 79-28 and 76-31, were sent to the Senate for final votes after days of wrangling.

The House GOP had long been at an impasse on an energy overhaul, until changes were made to mollify proponents of the “choice” program that gives competitors up to 10 per cent of sales in the territories of utility giants DTE Electric and Consumers Energy.

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5:45 a.m.

Gov. Rick Snyder has emerged from a lengthy middle-of-the-night meeting at which he pushed Republican lawmakers to overhaul Michigan’s energy laws.

The governor met with the House GOP at the Capitol for more than an hour early Thursday. While leaving the legislative chamber after 5 a.m., he told reporters “we’re still working.”

The House is in the midst of a marathon session that has stretched for more than 19 hours. Members will return in the afternoon for potential votes.

A conceptual deal between electric utilities and their competitors is signalling that lawmakers are close to rewriting 2008 energy laws. They govern the regulation of power providers, require minimum amounts of renewable sources of electricity and set efficiency benchmarks.

Thursday is the last day of the two-year term.