LANSING, MI – State Representative Pauline Wendzel, Chairwoman of the Michigan House Energy Committee, has been appointed Co-Chair of the Energy & Environment Committee for the Midwestern Legislative Conference (MLC) for the 2025-2026 biennium.

The committee brings together legislators from 11 Midwestern states and 4 Canadian provinces to collaborate on common-sense energy policy solutions. Rep. Wendzel will serve alongside Illinois State Senator Laura Ellman, who returns as co-chair after serving in the role during the previous biennium. They will be joined by Co-Vice Chairs Rep. Anna Novak of North Dakota and MLA Erika Ritchie of Saskatchewan.

“It’s an honor to serve as Co-Chair of the MLC Energy Committee,” Rep. Wendzel said. “In this role, I intend to promote serious, forward-looking energy policy that strengthens our economy, supports our job creators, and ensures families have access to affordable, dependable power. The Midwest has a chance to lead—not with rhetoric, but with results—and I’m committed to helping chart that course with clarity, purpose, and common sense.”

As Chairwoman of the Michigan House Energy Committee, Rep. Wendzel has worked to modernize Michigan’s energy grid, clear regulatory hurdles, and reignite investment in nuclear energy. With Michigan at the epicenter of the Great American Nuclear Renaissance, her leadership at the MLC will help ensure the Midwest remains a driving force in shaping a stable, secure, and affordable energy future for the entire nation.

The Midwestern Legislative Conference is a nonpartisan, binational association of state and provincial legislators that fosters cooperation and policy innovations.

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