Reps. Nitz, Ball, Bieda, Booher, Brandenburg, Casperson, Caswell, Cushingberry, Espinoza, Gillard, Gleason, Gonzales, Green, Hansen, Jones, Lemmons, III, Mayes, McDowell, Meyer, Miller, Mortimer, Pastor, Pearce, Proos, Sak, Shaffer, Spade, Stahl and Vander Veen offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 249.

            A resolution to express support for the 25 x 25 vision that by 2025, Michigan and American farms and forests will provide 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States while continuing to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed, and fiber.

            Whereas, Our nation and the world are looking for new energy solutions; and

            Whereas, America's farms and forests can play a much larger role in providing renewable forms of energy. Michigan's farms and forests can become the future sources for a new generation of energy and fuels to help meet the state's and nation's energy needs through the use of innovative technologies, incentives, and investments. Biodiesel and ethanol exemplify how the agriculture sector can become an energy provider; and

            Whereas, The development of a broad spectrum of renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, biodiesel, ethanol, and biomass, would be beneficial to our farmers, forestland owners, and all of America. Home-grown renewable energy produced from our working lands provides a sustainable alternative to fossil-based fuels and benefits economic development, national security, and environmental quality; and

            Whereas, Increasing our use of renewable energy will bring new technologies to market, create good jobs in rural America, save consumers money, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, clean our air, and help mitigate climate change. 25 x 25 is a grassroots initiative that seeks to increase America's use of renewable energy by enhancing the contribution that our agriculture and forestry sectors can make toward energy production; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we support the vision of 25 x 25 and we commit to work collaboratively with renewable energy advocates to further explore and enhance the contribution that America's agriculture and forestry sectors can make toward energy production and to develop an action plan to bring this vision to life; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Michigan Department of Agriculture, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the Michigan Public Service Commission.