Renewable energy projects could lose their power to go around local zoning laws under bills that passed Wednesday in the Michigan House.
A state law passed in 2023 gave utilities the ability to turn to state authorities to greenlight renewable projects that were rejected by local officials, as a way of ensuring there’s enough renewable energy to meet statutory goals.
Opponents at the time argued that route went against principles of local control.
Representative Gregory Alexander (R-Carsonville) sponsors the repeal legislation. He said it’s about preventing government overreach.
“This legislation is not an attack on renewable energy. I’m not opposed to wind and solar to the communities that want to host them. But when they’re not supported by the communities, we’re taking away their voice,” Alexander said.
Alexander mentioned some community benefits of allowing renewable projects to be sited in a locality. But he called the preemption powers, “deeply wrong.”
“It’s a slap in the face to our citizens’ votes, to their voices, and to our democracy,” Alexander said.
The policy requires projects to first go to local governments, meeting with officials and holding public meetings. If a utility meets all the law's requirements and still gets denied, it can go to the Michigan Public Service Commission to get around that opposition.
Going to the state requires applicants to pay up to $150,000 to local governments and go through a list of other steps.
House Democrats voted to keep that option in place Wednesday. Representative Sharon MacDonnell (D-Troy) said the 2023 laws help lower energy costs and empower landowners.
“I met and spoke to farmers who wanted to use solar to earn extra income on their farms — to save their family farms. But their local government said no. What about individual rights?” MacDonnell said during a floor speech.
Other lawmakers made the case that, without the siting laws, the state’s goal of having a clean energy portfolio by 2040 wouldn’t be realistic.
Representative Donovan McKinney (D-Detroit) compared it to healthcare, arguing everyone needs to buy into the system for it to work and bring about lower costs.
“We need everybody to stick together on this. And we love our locals, I love our local governments. But this is an opportunity for us to continue on the clean energy economy,” McKinney told reporters.
The repeal bills next go the Democratic-led state Senate, where they’re unlikely to see a vote.
