house resolution no.358
Rep. Mueller offered the following resolution:
Whereas, One of the key features of Michigan’s historic identity has been its role as the undisputed leader in automobile manufacturing. Henry Ford, one of the most famous Michiganders, and whose name is now synonymous with modern automobiles, built his first gas-powered internal combustion engine in 1893 on the kitchen table of his then-home in Detroit. Over the next century, countless innovations by Ford and other Michigan-based automobile manufacturers cemented this state’s role as the worldwide leader in automobile manufacturing, even being indisputably recognized as the “Automotive Capital of the World”; and
Whereas, Michigan’s economic development has been – and remains to be – tied to the automotive industry, which is still overwhelmingly dependent upon conventional internal combustion engine powered vehicles. Recent estimates have found that the automotive industry contributes 225 billion dollars to our state’s economy, which is nearly half our gross state product. Nearly one in five Michiganders has a job supported by the automotive industry. The vast majority of the automobiles produced in the United States remain equipped with traditional, internal combustion engines. As of 2022, less than one percent of this nation’s 250 million cars, SUVs, and light-duty trucks are fully electric. Michigan’s economy is clearly still dependent upon the manufacturing of traditionally powered vehicles; and
Whereas, Nationwide, there has been an increased interest in the viability of introducing mass numbers of electric vehicles on America’s roads. As Michigan explores this new frontier, government leadership should not unnecessarily interfere in natural market processes as other states have done. The state of California, for example, plans to ban the sale of gas cars by the year 2035, requiring instead that all new vehicles be powered by hydrogen or electricity. Top-down mandates like these unnecessarily burden the automotive industry, significantly impair the free market’s ability to select for the most desired and efficient product, and restrict and distort consumer choices. Ultimately, government interference in this way damages economies, undermines the free market, and restricts the right business owners and consumers alike share to make independent choices; and
Whereas, Though Michigan businesses have recently begun initiatives to invest in making electric vehicle manufacturing a viable component of our future automotive endeavors, we should ultimately allow the free market to dictate that this transition be natural, sustainable, and economically sound. Earlier this year, General Motors announced a historic investment of billions of dollars into electric vehicle manufacturing for the coming decades. Other automotive manufacturers are making similar investments. These investments hope to bring thousands of stable jobs developing the infrastructure necessary to naturally phase electric vehicles into our fleet. Continuing to allow market players – not the government - to spearhead future development in Michigan’s automotive future is the best way to ensure that electric vehicle rollouts last and do not unnecessarily burden the free market. For over 100 years Michigan’s private industry has led the nation’s automotive production. The advent of electric vehicles is no reason to kick them out of the driver’s seat; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we reaffirm the State of Michigan’s commitment to refrain from intervening in the free market to forcibly transition the state’s automotive fleet from internal combustion engine powered vehicles to electric-powered vehicles and, instead, to allow traditional free market forces to determine the fleet’s makeup; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor of Michigan, the Director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, the Director of the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, and the Director of the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget.