Proposals from state Rep. Greg Alexander, of Carsonville, reaffirming local input and authority on large-scale energy siting projects were advanced Wednesday, April 30, by the Michigan House.
Signed laws in 2023 pre-empted local authority for renewable energy siting, drawing concern and pushback from local leaders. With the new laws, the unelected Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) was given the power to circumvent local decision-making authority on wind and solar siting. Local zoning ordinances can be bypassed with a project application going directly to the MPSC for a certificate of approval to begin construction.
The MPSC is a three-member commission of governor-appointed officials that serve six-year terms. Michigan currently has about 17,000 acres occupied by wind and solar operations, and rural areas across the state are expected to bear the brunt of expanded siting going forward.
“I represent an area of the state where these laws are not theoretical. They will change the entire landscape of the region,” Alexander said when testifying on the legislation before the House Energy Committee earlier in April, noting that Sanilac, Huron and Tuscola counties contain almost 60% of wind turbines in the state.
Alexander claims that the bills are not an attack on renewable energy, but instead “about empowering local communities and their elected officials to make these decisions based on what’s best for their communities.”
House bills 4027-28 now move to the Senate for consideration, having been before the House for consideration last week.
