LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Ingham County just got volunteered as the test subject for Michigan’s new law that lets the state override local governments on massive renewable energy projects. This relates to Public Act 233 and 234 of 2023 which amended both the Clean and Renewable Energy and Energy Waste Reduction Act and the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act. That triggered the creation of a statewide siting and certification process for utility-scale wind, solar, and storage projects.
According to a report from M-Live, on June 18, developers filed a 1,400+ page application to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) for an 873-acre solar farm. This happened without first getting the thumbs-up from all affected townships. The project is called “Acceleration Solar” and it’s being developed by Ranger Power, a Chicago-based developer.
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Their website states that their project is a 90-megawatt solar farm proposed by Ranger Power in Ingham County, Michigan. It involves the townships of Leslie, Vevay, and Onondaga.
They go on to say, “The project, located on the open and sunny portions of the land of private landowners who have chosen to participate in the project, is designed to prevent glare and minimize sound” addressing concerns of community members.
Further information on the website declares, “Solar energy provides local farmers with a stable source of income during times of volatile input prices while protecting their land for future generations. The project will be located primarily on fields and vacant land.”
Democrats ditch local input for state control.
This is the first project to bypass local review under the 2023 law passed by Michigan Democrats. They insist that fast-tracking solar farms is critical to the state’s climate goals.
Meanwhile, local leaders are less than thrilled to be sidelined. Leslie Township Supervisor Dallas Henney, representing the area where the largest portion of where the solar farm will be, put it bluntly: “It’s like rolling over and playing dead and letting them stomp on you.” His township refused to adopt state-compatible zoning rules, essentially forcing the application to Lansing.
Farming out farmland.
Around 90% of the Acceleration Solar project’s footprint currently grows crops, according to the media report. The farmland consists of ten properties owned by four private landowners. However, soon, that farmland could be fenced off and filled with solar panels instead.
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Vevay Township Supervisor John Lazet voiced concern that once land is out of production, it’s rarely ever coming back. And unlike auto plants or data centers, solar farms don’t bring big long-term tax windfalls – especially when the equipment is allowed to depreciate quickly.
The “clean” power struggle isn’t over yet.
More than 75 local governments are still battling in court over the law that strips them of control over local permitting decisions. House Republicans have voted to repeal it through House Bills 4027 and 4028, but the effort is stalled in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
Developers like Ranger Power insist they’ve been good neighbors by holding meetings and adjusting plans. However, that might not be enough for local community members who don’t want their agricultural farmland turned into solar farms.
