House Bill 5120, passed last week along party lines, strips from cities and townships the power to permit and zone large green energy projects. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign the bill.

A late amendment to the bill requires energy companies to work with municipalities whose permitting process mirrors the state’s, giving utilities and local governments 120 days to reach a deal or apply for an extension of an additional 120 days. If utilities and local governments can’t work out a deal, electrical providers can submit a permitting application to the Michigan Public Service Commission to get what it needs to move the project forward.

Companies can also work through the MPSC if the local government’s zoning process is stricter than the standards spelled out in the new law or if a project meets certain criteria outlined in the bill and the local government denies the permit applications.

Municipalities that allow green energy projects could receive a bump in revenue to help cover the costs of emergency services. Developers would have to pay communities $2,000 per megawatt of their projects’ capacity to fund police, fire, public safety, or other infrastructure in the local government or for other projects agreed to by the local government and the developer.

Michele Hoitenga

Supporters of the bill claim the new development rules will kickstart renewable energy projects needed to meet the state’s clean energy goals, which earlier legislation set at 100% clean energy by 2040, with 60% of total power produced by wind and solar by 2035.

State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, who represents Northeast Michigan, said he voted against the bill because local governments should continue to decide what’s best for their communities and residents. He said the bill is another example of government overreach.

“It is a way for the state to push local green energy projects in places where people may not want them, and that decision should be up to the cities and townships,” Cavitt said. “Local government is the best government, because they know the wants and needs of their community. What works for one community may not work for another. For the system to work effectively, local governments need to have a loud voice, and the people in them need to show buy-in. Local governments are the most critical part of our democracy.”

State Sen. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, who represents northern Michigan in Lansing, said the new regulations are all about money and could have a negative impact on the natural resources in Northeast Michigan.

“These bills have nothing to do with climate change or helping to better the future of our state. Using hard-working peoples’ tax dollars to fund special interests should be criminal,” Hoitenga said in a written statement. “Northern Michigan’s precious land and environment will be sacrificed in this ideological endeavor and all Michiganders will pay more for less reliable energy — and more for food when valuable farmland is replaced by endless solar fields and wind turbine skylines.”

Nathan Skibbe

Alpena Township Supervisor Nathan Skibbe said he anticipated such a move after other states passed similar laws.

He called the move more state oversight that hinders local government’s ability to do what is best for their communities.

“It’s despicable, because Lansing doesn’t even know where Alpena is, let alone what it needs or wants,” Skibbe said. “We need to have skin or the green energy game will be a tough sell to the people.”