Michigan Expands Prevailing Wage Law to Include Solar and Wind Energy Projects

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Last week, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an expansion of the State’s prevailing wage law to include construction for solar and wind energy projects. Senate Bill 571 extends prevailing wage requirements to clean energy facility construction, which includes solar, wind, and energy storage plants.

The bill mandates contractors bidding on these projects to register with the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity and submit payroll and benefits information for workers. Supporters believe this will ensure better pay and support Michigan’s transition to clean energy, aligned to achieve 100% carbon emission-free energy by 2040. Opponents argue that it increases project costs and burdens nonunion laborers.

The bill passed along party lines in both legislative houses. Last year, Whitmer signed legislation reinstating Michigan’s prevailing wage law for state-funded construction projects, which had been repealed in 2018.