LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Michele Hoitenga on Thursday introduced legislation to repeal new sections of state law giving the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) zoning authority over local units of government as part of radical energy policy reforms enacted by Lansing Democrats and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last year.
“The lack of respect for the will of the people and blatant disregard for local communities imposed by this Michigan Green New Deal is big government at its worst,” said Hoitenga, R-Manton. “Local communities should have the final say on whether they want to sacrifice precious land and environment — or pay more for food at the cost of valuable farmland — in exchange for endless solar fields, wind turbine skylines, and less reliable energy.
“I hope the governor and Democrats in the Legislature are listening to the voices of the many local leaders and farmers who have spoken out against this harmful state overreach and are willing to right this wrong.”
The MPSC has estimated that 209,000 more acres of land will be needed for wind and solar development to meet the state’s new 60% renewable energy mandates by 2035. Michigan currently has about 17,000 acres occupied by wind and solar operations.
Hoitenga said Senate Bill 898 would work to restore local permitting control for large-scale solar, wind, and energy storage projects across the state following last year’s reforms to the Clean and Renewable Energy and Energy Waste Reduction Act.
