Local officials oppose new clean energy legislation 

The “Clean Energy Future Bill” aims to make Michigan use 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2040 but many municipalities are against one part of the legislation.

That part of the legislation, they said, will take away some of their authorities.*

“We spent a lot of time, a lot of energy and a lot of money on our master plans to put together the communities that they want to live in, based upon the information that they told us what they want. We’re going to fight and we’re going to give them the communities that they want to live in,” said Glenn Rowley, Bangor Township Supervisor and Michigan Township Association District 12 Representative.

Rowley and other local officials aren’t happy about the new clean energy legislation that was just signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday, Nov. 29. Particularly a provision in the package of bills they said will strip local governments and residents of having any input on having a solar or wind farm in their communities.

“It takes away the local community’s ability to handle their own zoning. So all of the local zoning that we have would be totally disregarded and it would be taken care of at the state level,” Rowley added.

Right now, Michigan has just over 17,000 acres of land currently being used for wind and solar generation in order for the state to become 100 percent clean energy by 2040. The state will need an additional 209,000 acres of land for the project to meet a 60 percent renewable energy goal by 2035. To achieve this, state lawmakers gave the Public Service Commission the authority to supersede local governments for the approval of the large projects.

“Let’s say in Bangor Township, well, we really don’t have any any land that would be applicable or valuable to this industry. But let’s say that we did and they came by and they said we want to put in, I don’t know, we want to fill the Saginaw Bay with, you know, with solar panels, we just say well, no, we really don’t like that. This legislation would allow them to go to the State of Michigan and the State of Michigan could approve that. We would have absolutely no control as to what happens,” said Rowley.

However, residents and local officials can still voice what they do and don’t want in their communities to their state representatives.

Michigan joins four other states that are requiring energy providers to transition to 100 percent carbon-free energy generation by 2040.

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*Sec. 231. (4) “If a certificate is issued, the certificate and this part preempt a local policy, practice, regulation, rule, or other ordinance that prohibits, regulates, or imposes additional or more restrictive requirements than those specified in the commission’s certificate.”

Sec. 225. (8)(b)(i) Minimum setback distances, measured from the center of the base of the wind tower:

• Occupied community buildings and residences on nonparticipating properties: 2.1 times the maximum blade tip height to the nearest point on the outside wall of the structure;
• Residences and other structures on participating properties: 1.1 times the maximum blade tip height to the nearest point on the outside wall of the structure;
• Nonparticipating property lines: 1.1 times the maximum blade tip height.