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Take a deep breath, and you know you are in Michigan. The air is the cleanest it has been in a generation. It is easy to take for granted. Not us. We strive to do better.

Our Clean Energy Plan, also known as Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), is an in-depth strategy to protect the planet and keep our promise of being sustainable. It is our 20-year blueprint to guide our regulated electric business.

The plan places Consumers Energy as an industry leader by retiring its remaining coal-fired plants. This will help us reach a net zero carbon emissions goal by 2040. Eliminating coal use 15 years sooner than planned will make the air cleaner, cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce landfill waste and cut our water use drastically.

This plan will also help us cut carbon emissions from owned generation by about 60% from 2005 levels by 2025. By 2040, 61% of our electric capacity will come from renewable sources. This includes nearly 8,000 megawatts of solar.

We have pledged to protect the planet by achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions from our entire natural gas production and delivery system — including customers and suppliers — by 2050.

Achieving net zero emissions means eliminating the impact of emissions traced to the burning of natural gas from customers, and greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas suppliers who produce and transport natural gas to us.

As a next step on our path to net zero by 2050, we are already putting forth our industry-leading plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These include:

• Modernizing our natural gas system. This will help us achieve net zero methane emissions from operations by 2030.
• Ending coal use and boosting renewable energy fuel sources. This will help us achieve net zero carbon emissions from electric operations by 2040.
• Pledging to power 1 million electric vehicles in the communities we serve by 2030.

Pursuing a net zero goal for all emission sources, including those from customers and suppliers, aligns our efforts with Michigan’s Healthy Climate Plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 as well as the recommendations of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming.

CMS Energy is exploring different ways to support customers and suppliers who want to reduce their emissions.

• Carbon offsets: The company recently got regulatory approval for a new program where residential and business customers can choose to voluntarily offset carbon emissions from their natural gas use by investing in projects that help Michigan forests reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Renewable natural gas, or RNG: Produced from organic wastes and other renewable sources, RNG can be used like regular natural gas. RNG is a key technology available to reduce methane emissions. The company recently announced an agreement with Swisslane Farms in west Michigan to build a biodigester facility that, with regulatory approval, will convert agricultural waste into RNG.
• Energy efficiency: We help customers save energy and lower their bills through a variety of energy efficiency and demand response programs. Since 2009, we have helped customers save about $4 billion. We also prevented the emission of almost 19 million tons of carbon dioxide.
• Emerging technologies: Potential solutions include using hydrogen to produce energy, capturing and permanently storing carbon emissions from natural gas combustion and using hybrid natural gas and electric heat pump systems to heat homes and businesses.

The company is also modernizing its natural gas operations with a 10-year Natural Gas Delivery Plan to ensure natural gas delivery is safe, reliable, affordable and clean. The plan includes faster infrastructure replacement, innovative leak detection and key process changes to eliminate, avoid and minimize methane emissions.

See our required postings for other waste disposal information on regulatory requirements related to toxic emissions and greenhouse gasses.