Bills from state Rep. Greg Alexander that reinstall critical protections for local communities and residents when it comes to large-scale siting projects were advanced today by the House Energy Committee.

“Local governments and residents know their areas better than the state,” said Alexander, of Carsonville. “They craft policies with this in mind, and people expect their elected local officials to make decisions for their communities and their families with their input at the forefront. When unelected state bureaucrats to come in, cast local input aside and impose projects onto communities, it’s a textbook example of government overreach. Our locals should be able to make decisions on property use for themselves, and these bills re-establish this critical element.”

Signed laws in 2023 pre-empted local authority for renewable energy siting, drawing concern and pushback from local communities and officials. 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, noting that Sanilac, Huron and Tuscola counties contain almost 60% of wind turbines in the state. “Over the next several years, this commission is going to foist these projects onto rural communities while putting more emphasis on green energy. When this type of blatant overreach happens, it impacts property values, small business viability, available farmland, and many other elements of a community.

“Ultimately, these bills are not an attack on renewable energy. They take no position on whether it’s a good idea for a community to green light a large-scale wind or solar project. They merely state that the community should be able to make that decision for itself and do what is in the best interest of its residents, instead of being at the whim of state-level workarounds.”

HBs 4027-28 now move to the full House for consideration. Prior to the advancement of the bills, the committee heard nearly 90 minutes of testimony on Alexander’s legislation, with an overwhelming amount of testimony being in support of the plans.