Residents and commissioners spar over Marquette resolution supporting reclassification of natural gas

Public comment and commission debate at the Feb. 9 Marquette City Commission meeting focused on a recently passed resolution supporting House Bills 4007 and 4283 to reclassify natural gas as a form of clean energy.

Ryan Stock, an assistant professor of environmental studies and sustainability at Northern Michigan University and a Marquette resident, told commissioners he used the resolution as a classroom example of greenwashing and said the action undermines efforts to create a credible climate action plan. "Fact, there is absolutely nothing clean about natural gas," Stock said during public comment, and he urged the commission to rescind the resolution.

Several commissioners replied during the commission comment period. The mayor and other commissioners described the vote as driven in part by concerns about regional energy reliability, the high cost of replacing the existing generating units and the economic impact on major local employers if the related legislation failed. One commissioner said that while they support moving toward zero‑carbon energy, immediate replacement of existing units would be infeasible and could sharply increase utility bills for residents. Another commissioner said their vote was driven by economic considerations for the community but that the city should move quickly to adopt a formal climate action plan.

Commissioners repeatedly framed the vote as a difficult tradeoff between environmental goals and near‑term reliability and cost concerns for residents and employers. The public comment period and commission replies kept the issue on the agenda for that night but produced no formal reversal of the prior resolution.

The record shows the resolution was passed at the prior meeting; commissioners said they remain committed to pursuing a climate action plan while also weighing fiscal and reliability constraints tied to recently installed generating equipment.