Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign — but hasn’t yet signed — a package of bills that would establish a new green energy policy for the state and would usurp local control over where green energy projects get built.

The bills would, among other things, allow the Michigan Public Service Commission to greenlight green energy projects even if those projects have been denied permits by local government agencies.

Several Northeast Michigan officials — including state Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, state Sen. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, and Alpena Township Supervisor Nathan Skibbe in a recent News story — panned the legislation, saying local governments are better connected to the needs and wants of their constituencies and ought to have the final say on such projects.

Proponents of the legislation say it’s a necessary step to help the state meet its goal of powering Michigan homes and businesses entirely by green energy no later than 2040.

Cavitt told News staff writer Steve Schulwitz for a recent story that he expects groups such as the Michigan Association of Counties and the Michigan Association of Townships to challenge the new legislation in court.

You, dear reader, need to be a part of that process.

Reach out to Whitmer — her office can be reached at P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, Michigan, 48909 or 517-335-7858 — and tell her whether you think she should sign the bill.

Reach out to your local city, township, village, or county representatives and tell them if you think they should join the fight against the bill.

We call on all Northeast Michiganders to stay involved on this issue, and we call on Whitmer and local representatives to take the concerns of their constituents into consideration when deciding whether to enact the legislation or challenge it.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)