(Source: MIRS.news, Published 10/18/2023) Rep. Joey Andrews (D-St. Joseph), who Wednesday voted yes in committee on a four-bill package shifting siting authority of wind and solar facilities to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), has ed ownership of a solar installation company in his hometown, called Parasol Solar.
Andrews told MIRS the company is inactive and he doesn’t believe there is a conflict of interest, in part because the scope of the projects are so different.
Andrews serves as the majority vice chair of the House Energy, Communications and Technology Committee, which today took up the “Clean Energy and Jobs Act,” including HB 5120 , HB 5121 , HB 5122 and HB 5123 .
Together, the bills create a certification process for wind, solar and energy storage facilities with a capacity over 50 megawatts through the MPSC, in cases where energy companies run into trouble with permitting through local governments.
Opponents of the package, including the Michigan Townships Association (MTA), Michigan Association of Counties (MAC) and various community members, argue that preemption of local zoning included in the bill will result in a loss of local control and the jamming through of numerous clean energy projects that communities don’t want.
MIRS discovered the company via a 2018 endorsement by “Run for Something,” a progressive American political organization recruiting young candidates, in which Andrews is referred to as an “attorney and small business owner, operating a solar installation company out of his hometown of St. Joseph.”
His LinkedIn account also mentions Parasol Solar, which Andrews was listed as a managing partner of and head of legal from March 2015 through 2019.
The company’s website describes it as a partnership with contractors to streamline the process of solar installs through engineering, support and training, in addition to handling filings with power companies and “any requirements that might otherwise hinder the process.”
Parasol appears to cater to both residential and commercial property owners.
Filings show Andrews listed as an owner and registered agent of the company, which was established in 2015.
Andrews confirmed that on paper, he’s still one-third owner of Parasol, but he said the company doesn’t extend much further than paper anymore.
The business was started by himself and two friends, Andrews said, and the trio remained operational for three to four years in a “dedicated way.
“But things never really came together,” he said, and the company did roughly seven installations between five and 10 kilowatts in both Tennessee, where his partner was located at the time, and Southwest Michigan.
In 2018, Andrews had some health issues, and his partners were pulled in different directions, which he said was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In 2021, we kind of brushed off the mothballs to do one installation for a former customer who wanted to add another five kilowatts onto his system,” Andrews said, but “it's been inactive since.
“We never formally shut it down, but we haven't had any tax returns in two years,” he added.
Andrews said he figured it would probably come up eventually, especially in the context of energy legislation he sees weekly, but said the company never had any employees or made a profit.
“These little businesses are kind of like a family pet in a lot of ways,” he said. “You should shut them down, but… you just don't want to give it up.”
When asked about the potential for a conflict of interest, Andrews said that question is to be expected when you run a business and serve in the legislature, but said ultimately, no.
“We are not actively soliciting sales. We have no marketing. There's no income. There's no expenses. It just sits there as an inactive LLC,” he said.
He said if the company was still active, he would have removed himself from it.
Ed Rivet, former executive director of the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum, agreed that he doesn’t see a conflict of interest, not only because the company is inactive, but also because it never had the capacity for the large-scale projects the siting package is attempting to attract.
“There might be some stuff on paper that I used to be a wedding DJ,” he said, “but I’m not anymore.”
But Kevon Martis, co-founder of the “Our Home Our Voice” coalition and opponent to state-control of siting, said though the bills leave the siting of installations smaller than 50 megawatts in the hands of local governments, they are still regulating the industry Andrews comes from.
They don’t refer to utility scale projects only, he said, they just delineate the size of the project.
“There’s no shame in recusing,” Martis said.
Rep. Pauline Wendzel (R-Coloma), the ranking Republican on the House Energy, Communications and Technology Committee, said “Of course, he shouldn't vote for it on the floor, and voting for it in committee was probably a bad idea.”
When Andrews ran against Wendzel a couple cycles back for the state House, she said Andrews used the fact that he ran a solar installation company as a major talking point so “clearly it's a huge aspect of his life.”
Wendzel said she knows there is good legislation in the pipeline regarding ethics and transparency that would address this situation, but it still hasn't been introduced as the Legislature looks to close the books on the year.
If Andrews were to recuse himself, it could create real issues with the bills' passage. MIRS talked with two House Republican sources today who said there are no signs of a caucus member voting yes on this one. If that holds true, all 56 Democrats would need to vote for the bills. If Andrews recused himself, that brings the votes down to 55.
Andrews said he does believe his past experience helps him when crafting and voting on legislation before the House Energy Committee, making him “a more informed legislator when it comes to tackling renewable energy issues.
“As far as the understanding that working in the industry gave me, definitely,” he said. “I’m very, very, very familiar with what an installation entails, what happens on the ground, the installation process, the materials, the supply chain, how the technology works. When you work in any industry, you develop an expertise.”
