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LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Clean energy developers were planning a 75-turbine wind farm in mid-Michigan’s Montcalm County, but local voters rejected the plan in 2022. Seven local officials who supported the plan were recalled.
About 150 miles (240 kilometers) to the southeast, Clara Ostrander of Monroe County is at the center of a similar dispute, as rising medical costs are forcing her husband and wife to consider selling land their family has owned for 150 years. I noticed that I was in
Land could be saved by leasing parcels where the solar farm would be built, but after intense complaints from neighbors, Ostrander said the town changed the zoning to block the project. said.
“There are people in this town that I never want to talk to again,” she said.
Michigan’s zoning regulations have derailed more than 20 utility-scale renewable energy projects as of last May, according to a study by Columbia University’s Sabin Center on Climate Change Law. At least 228 regulations have been imposed nationwide and in 35 states to shut down green energy projects.
The conflict has hampered many states’ aggressive plans to transition to cleaner energy production, with the ultimate goal of eliminating carbon pollution within the next 20 years.
Michigan and a dozen other states are seeking to upend the decision-making process by replacing local regulations and giving state officials the power to approve or disapprove the siting of utility-scale projects.
The change has sparked a political backlash that could intensify as more states seek to simplify the approval and construction of green energy projects.
Michigan Public Service Commission Chairman Dan Scripps said, “We cannot allow critical statewide projects that are critical to our state’s energy security to be vetoed solely based on local concerns.” I can’t.”
Scripps and two other committee members are currently working to build large-scale renewable energy projects in the state under a bill passed by Michigan lawmakers and signed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November. authorized to locate.
Michigan joins Connecticut, New York, Oregon and Minnesota in requiring utilities to transition to 100% carbon-free electricity generation by 2040. Rhode Island, the sixth state, is aiming for 100% renewable energy by 2033. The Biden administration aims to provide carbon-free electricity by 2035 and achieve a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. Other states have long-standing goals below 100%.
But many local officials argue that giving states the power to build large energy projects violates America’s cherished political principles. Local government officials are the closest to voters and are the ones with the most direct responsibility to them, they say. They argue that it is especially important when it comes to land use and what is built near homes.
In Kansas, Osage County has decided to suspend commercial solar and wind energy projects in 2022 after multiple public hearings. County Commissioner Jay Bailey said the decision reflects the concerns of most residents. He said that even after all the hearings and discussions, he felt he wasn’t getting enough information about the impacts of large turbines and solar farms.
“Here’s the difference: If you allow it, you can’t go back and change it, but if you don’t allow it, you can always change it,” he said.
Elsewhere, such as Kansas’ Flint Hills (home to most of the country’s remaining tall grasslands), energy projects have been paused due to environmental concerns.
But despite restrictions in some parts of Kansas, renewable energy is booming there. Wind farms currently provide 47% of the state’s electricity, up from 7% in 2010. The increase came as the clean energy lobby worked steadily to counter opposition from Republican-controlled state legislatures.
Elise Caplan, vice president of regulatory affairs at the nonprofit U.S. Renewable Energy Council, said local rules restricting green energy facilities are “not really based in science.” She said the project could benefit the local environment by retiring fossil fuel-fired power plants.
Michigan has pursued its clean energy goals by rapidly developing facilities in locations with abundant agricultural land. It’s a choice that could divide rural communities, similar to the case in Monroe County where Mr. Ostrander sought to lease property for a solar farm.
Michigan’s new siting law could revive the project.
“No one forced us to do this. This was our decision and we felt it was a good thing to build to keep our property in our family,” Ostrander said. said.
Michigan is unusual in that more than 1,200 townships have the authority to enact and enforce city planning ordinances. Twenty of the state’s 83 counties have passed ordinances that block or slow wind and solar power development.
Scripps, chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission, which can now override those limits, said an additional 209,000 would be needed for projects that would meet the state’s 60% renewable energy goal by 2035. He said that 84,579 hectares (84,579 hectares) would be required. This is a significant increase from 17,000 acres. Currently in use is 6,880 hectares.
Scripps said developers will still have to go through local communities to get their projects approved. However, if a project is rejected and meets the state’s promotion criteria, the three-person commission can override local decisions and approve solar projects with a capacity of 50 megawatts or more and wind projects with a capacity of 100 megawatts. .
Illinois’ 2023 law limits the power of local governments and prohibits moratoriums on clean energy projects. In addition to Michigan, the Columbia University study reported that California, Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island have state boards or agencies controlling decisions about siting projects. Local rules could also be circumvented in Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Florida and South Dakota.
Michigan’s local government groups overwhelmingly oppose a new law that would give the state authority over construction projects, arguing that it would create a “one-size-fits-all” process. Citizens for Local Choice, a group of four state legislators, announced in early January that it would try to take the issue to Michigan voters in November, with a total of about 350,000 people by May 29. We need to collect 7,000 signatures.
Green energy advocates have cited local opposition to the project, including fear of change, widespread misinformation about wind turbines and solar panels, and the desire of suburbanites to move to rural areas to preserve the landscape. I am dissatisfied with what I see happening often.
Josh Svati, who supports renewable energy companies seeking county-level permits and lobbied at the Kansas State Capitol, said opponents are making life “absolutely miserable” for local employees. Blame Iruka. Still, he said he still believes in local decision-making.
“County government and city government alike are designed to be accessible to residents,” Svati said. ”
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Hannah reported from Topeka, Kansas.
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