State Rep. John Roth on Wednesday voted to reinstate local zoning and permitting authority over large-scale solar and wind projects. The legislation passed the House along party lines.

“This fight is about so much more than just wind turbines and solar panels; it’s about restoring public trust in government,” said Roth, R-Interlochen. “Folks in my community are watching as decades of hard work and planning get put aside because some downstate bureaucrat said that solar panels would like nice next to the local elementary school. I can’t blame anyone for losing trust in a system that allows these swamp monsters to steamroll trusted local officials.”

House Bills 4027-4028 would ensure local governments – not Lansing bureaucrats – are making zoning decisions regarding large-scale wind and solar projects. The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) currently has the ability to override local zoning decisions, a power they were granted as part of sweeping clean energy laws passed in 2023. Before the new laws, local officials could sign off on large-scale wind and solar projects, which were treated like any other local proposal.

“We’re quickly descending on a slippery slope of public distrust that can only be stopped by the immediate restoration of local control over these renewable energy projects,” Roth said. “People are already asking me: what’s next? Will they take away farmers’ ability to choose what crops they grow? Is the state going to start telling me where I have to send my kids to school? Folks are scared right now because they see a state government telling them it’s their way or the highway. The eroding trust in our system is not irreparable. However, the path to a solution only starts one way – with the immediate return of zoning and permitting decisions to the local leaders who were elected to make these choices in the first place.”

The plan now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

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