House Democrats in Michigan are advancing bills that seek to strip away rights of local communities to approve or reject large renewable energy projects, handing over such authority to state authorities.
Last week, Democrats unveiled the Clean Energy and Jobs Act in a meeting of the House energy committee. The act is a series of bills that would grant the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) the authority to give permits to large-scale solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects instead of local governments. The authority to permit smaller projects would remain with the communities.
The move would allow state control over large-scale renewable project implementation as the MPSC is composed of three members appointed by the state governor.
Democrat sponsors of the bills claim that the Clean Energy and Jobs Act would make Michigan produce cheaper, reliable power while also generating good-paying jobs. However, Republicans criticize the subversion of local government authorities and the rights of communities.
“For farmers, this legislation could be life-changing, because this has the potential to open up another steady and stable stream of income to be able to keep those family farms in the family just as they have for generations,” Rep. Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) said during a press conference last Wednesday, according to news outlet Michigan Advance.
“And for landowners, they should be able to do more with their land. Unfortunately, farmers and landowners across the state are oftentimes held hostage by restrictive ordinances that really tie their hands on what they’re able to do with that land.”
Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer has set a goal to make Michigan’s economy carbon-neutral by 2050.
According to an Oct. 10 press release by the Michigan House Republicans, Gov. Whitmer is supporting a plan that could force thousands of square miles of new solar and wind farms in rural communities without the local governments being involved in their approval.
The communities would have no power to hold the unelected commission members of the MPSC accountable, the GOP argued.
“We deserve to have a say in what happens in our own backyards,” said Rep. Jaime Greene (R-Mich.). “This is a blatant attempt to silence our voices, and a ruthless power grab that will deprive us of our ability to hold people accountable for the impact these projects have on our environment, economy, and quality of life.”
In an Oct. 13 X post, Rep. Matt Hall (R-Mich.) said, “I stand with Michigan residents against efforts to ignore community decisions and let unelected state bureaucrats put wind and solar farms wherever they want. It’s all part of a larger, misguided attempt to force expensive, unreliable energy on the people of Michigan.”
State’s Energy Potential
The Clean Energy and Jobs Act comes as there is strong community opposition to large-scale renewable energy projects in the state.Last November, for example, voters from Montcalm County rejected a $463 million wind farm proposal that could have potentially generated $80 million over three decades for local governments and schools.
There is some support for the bills among locals. “I’m normally a fierce advocate for local control, when it makes sense, but in my experience, the permitting of large energy infrastructure projects, like wind and solar farms, belong in the hands of experts at the state level,” Terry Anderson, a former township supervisor from Douglass Township, said in a statement, according to Michigan Advance.
“If the state wants to set significant renewable energy goals, the state should take on the burden of reviewing and approving these projects.”
Rep. Brian BeGole criticized the bills in the Clean Energy and Jobs Act, warning that it would restrict Michigan’s energy potential. “We have a broad energy portfolio in our state that meets the needs of different areas and communities,” he said during the legislation’s hearing last week.
Carbon-Free Electricity Push
Democrats are pushing another set of renewable energy plans, House bills 4759–4761, which also are garnering strong Republican opposition.Last month, Rep. Hall warned that these bills would destabilize Michigan’s power supply and raise energy costs. The bills would require 100 percent carbon-free electricity generation by 2035. It would prematurely shut down natural gas power plants.
The proposal is only about making “a few activists happy,” he said, according to a Sept. 14 press release. It does nothing to alleviate people’s concerns about power outages and expensive bills, Rep. Hall claimed.
The proposal “would actually make our grid even less reliable by shifting to weather-dependent wind and solar—with technology produced in coal-powered factories in China. This foolish mandate will be expensive to implement, and Michigan residents and businesses will bear the burden.”
“Families will pay more to keep the lights on, and factories may cut shifts or close because of high power costs—all while blackouts hit more often. Instead of sacrificing our grid and putting families in the dark to make a political statement, let’s focus on delivering affordable, reliable electricity to the people of our state.”
A yet-to-be-released study by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy projected that the passage of the bills would double the average electricity bill amount by 2050 from the current level, according to the release.
It noted that California, which has mandated carbon-free electricity by 2045, is currently suffering from rolling blackouts while the state’s electricity rates have “skyrocketed, far outpacing national increases.” The state has even started offering waivers and exemptions to the mandate to combat the blackouts.
