LANSING – Despite opposition from some environmental groups, legislation broadening what sources of energy would be considered renewable for the purposes of energy providers meeting the required minimum of energy generated from renewable sources cleared the Michigan House Energy and Technology Committee on Tuesday with bipartisan support.

Under the H-3 substitute for HB 5205 , energy generated from waste, including municipal waste, would join wind, solar, hydro and biomass as countable toward the state’s renewable portfolio standard, which now requires utilities to generate at least 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2015. Helping secure some Democratic support was the committee’s adoption of an amendment, offered by Rep. Rudy Hobbs (D-Southfield), prohibiting petroleum coke, the byproduct of tar sands oil, as a renewable source of energy.

“This is something that was never my intent from the beginning,” Rep. Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton), the committee chair and bill sponsor, said of the pet coke provision.

The committee reported the bill on a 17-3 vote. Rep. Collene Lamonte (D-Montague), Rep. Amanda Price (R-Park Township) and Rep. Henry Yanez (D-Sterling Heights) voted no. Rep. Marilyn Lane (D-Fraser) and Rep. Phil Phelps (D-Flushing) abstained. Five Democrats – Mr. Hobbs, Rep. Thomas Stallworth III of Detroit, Rep. David Nathan of Detroit, Rep. Bill LaVoy of Monroe and Rep. Charles Brunner of Bay City – joined 12 Republicans in support.

Nesbitt said the goal of the legislation is to create other opportunities for plastic recycling instead of having them go to landfills.

“It provides a more diverse resource here in Michigan,” Nesbitt said, noting about half the states include waste-to-energy in their renewable energy standards. “This allows for some good landfill diversion into useful energy.”

Despite the prohibition on the labeling of petroleum coke as a renewable source of energy, some environmental groups still bashed the bill.

“House Bill 5205 will allow polluters to burn tires and call it ‘renewable energy’ – that’s not only absurd, it’s a dangerous step backwards for Michigan,” said Lisa Wozniak, executive director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, in a statement. “We should be opening the door to real renewable energy, not more pollution that politicians are cynically trying to disguise as renewable energy. Michigan’s clean energy industry is thriving, it’s creating jobs and reducing energy costs and it’s making our air safer to breathe and water safer to drink.”

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