Hemlock Semiconductor’s Steven Holty named as climate council liaison

Steven Holty, sustainability leader at Hemlock Semiconductor Operations, has been named by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as a liaison to the Council on Climate Solutions.

The advisory council is charged with helping carry out the state’s MI Healthy Climate Plan, a comprehensive project to protect Michiganders’ public health and the environment and help develop new clean energy jobs by putting Michigan on a path toward becoming fully carbon-neutral by 2050. Whitmer recently named 14 members and seven liaisons to the council. Holty will serve as the co-chair of the Energy Intensive Industries Workgroup alongside the member from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).

Holty, who became sustainability leader in June 2020, plays a key role in advancing Hemlock Semiconductor Operations’ drive to lead the transformation to a more sustainable solar energy future. He’s responsible for identifying sustainability priorities, strategy, goals and metrics, and for leading the effort to create a sustainability strategy internally and externally. He holds a chemical engineering degree from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and a master’s degree in business administration from Northwood University.

“I look forward to working with the council and the Whitmer administration as we focus on climate solutions for the state of Michigan,” Holty said. “As the largest electricity user in Michigan, (Hemlock Semiconductor Operations) knows the importance of constantly looking for ways to decrease industry’s carbon footprint as Michigan moves toward becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.”

Mark Bassett, Hemlock Semiconductor Operations (HSC) chairman and CEO, said Holty’s passion for leveraging HSC’s role in the solar supply chain to promote green energy makes him an excellent addition to the Council on Climate Solutions. HSC is the nation’s largest producer of hyper-pure polysilicon, the basic building block of solar energy devices, and is working hard to reduce the carbon footprint of its polysilicon in the solar and semiconductor industries.

“The No. 1 way to drawdown carbon in our atmosphere is through solar energy,” Bassett said. “We’re committed to helping remove carbon emissions up and down the solar supply chain, and Steven’s expertise in this area should be an asset to the Council on Climate Solutions.”