For those renewable and alternative energy proponents who have been waiting since May 2011 (when Governor Snyder promised an energy policy within four months), the oft delayed energy “message” was a disappointment. Where is the “reinvention” and the “innovation” promised by this administration? Repowering a coal-fired plant for $130 Million is like relaunching black and white vacuum tube television sets—not reinvention. Citing fracking as a “legacy of innovation already present in Michigan’s energy sector” is far short of the energy leadership many had hoped for, and is not innovation. While everyone can agree that no national energy policy makes things difficult, it cannot serve as an excuse for Michigan to have no energy policy between 2011 and 2015. Policy decisions with 30+ year implications will now be made by utilities and others during this policy vacuum. By suggesting more study is needed, and by setting 2015 as the target year to “implement new decisions”, the Governor has effectively kicked the energy can down the road.