Readers here will be aware of the nationwide campaign of disinformation about clean energy, coordinated by the fossil fuel industry.
The problem is not limited to a single state.
Wisconsin and Minnesota have long had policies in place to insure that siting regulations are set at the state level. Other states are looking to follow suit.
Above, a clip from my conversation with David Loomis PhD, formerly a long time Professor of Economics at Illinois State University, and expert on clean energy technologies and deployment across the midwest.
I asked Dr. Loomis about a recent clean energy siting reform initiative in Illinois, aimed at overcoming astro-turf pushback from Facebook Frenzied opposition, convinced that wind and solar energy are part of a demonic Deep State plot.
Researchers say that in many groups, misinformation is raising doubts about renewable energy and slowing or derailing projects.
The opposition comes at a time when climate scientists say the world must shift quickly away from fossil fuels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. But 60% of U.S. electricity still comes from carbon-based fuels.
For the Biden administration to hit its target of an electricity sector free of fossil fuels by 2035, the country has to double or triple the wind and solar power capacity it installs over the next few years and maintain that higher level of deployments for about a decade, says Kelly Speakes-Backman, who leads the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
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Last year, a Department of Energy study found that setback regulations now represent the single-greatest barrier to securing locations for wind projects in the U.S. Setbacks limit how close wind projects can be to buildings, and (University of Michigan researcher Sarah) Mills says they often make sense to reduce things such as noise and “shadow flicker,” the moving shadows and strobing sunlight that turbines can cast onto buildings. But she says misinformation can fuel setbacks that are more stringent than needed and sometimes act as outright bans on renewable energy.Now, Michigan is looking at similar siting reforms, announced today as part of a larger package of progressive initiatives by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Michigan lawmakers are planning to make it easier for companies to launch large-scale solar energy projects to address climate change and avoid bitter disputes in places like Keene Township, an 1,800-person agricultural area in western Ionia County.
Democrats who control the Michigan House and Senate are expected to introduce bills to shift the power to permit major solar projects to state government in the coming weeks. Democratic leaders view the measures as crucial to reaching a proposed 100% clean energy standard by 2035, and they could serve as a test run for passing more aggressive environmental proposals in the future.
Currently, townships, cities and counties can set zoning and permitting standards related to solar energy systems. But an increasing number of townships have opposed the projects. Some rural residents have sought to repeal ordinances that are favorable to solar projects, and others have successfully recalled local officials who supported solar developments.
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Asked what the response would be to the proposals among solar project opponents in his district, state Sen. Joe Bellino, R-Monroe, replied, “They’ll go nuts.”
Judy Allen, director of government relations for the Michigan Townships Association, said decisions that impact local communities should be left to those communities.
“We are not against renewables, we know there’s a need,” Allen said. “Many of our members have multiple (renewable energy) facilities.
But she argued that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to such large projects doesn’t acknowledge differences among communities. If state agencies alone make these decisions, “you’d have no input on the local level in the process, on projects that can have a huge negative impact on a community,” Allen said.
Laura Sherman, president of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, countered that energy projects that benefit the entire state should “be considered in a consistent manner, with standards for what all companies must meet, and looked at by a body with the expertise to do that.”
Sherman said the placement of transmission lines and pipelines are already decided by the PSC, because “they are in the state interest.”
Under the current system, wind and solar projects are often “really contentious fights, and we have local officials who sometimes don’t want to make these decisions who are not experts at energy generation.”
The model for renewable energy project siting control that Michigan is considering is similar to one now in place in Wisconsin, Sherman said. There, projects generating at least 100 megawatts of power are authorized by the Wisconsin PSC.
Allen of the township association suggested a compromise, in which initial decisions are made at the local level, with appeals made to the PSC. That would retain a level of local control, while allowing the state to step in.
“I’ve heard from (township official) members that this is one of the most contentious issues they’ve faced,” Allen said. “We’d be open to having a discussion of there being an appeal to go to the state.”
State Rep. Aiyash said the details of the bill are still being developed.
“Without a process that is uniform and is streamlined to allow us to invest in our future, we can’t meet our clean energy standards,” Aiyash said.
Below, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, announced a series of clean energy initiatives today, including siting reform, as part of a larger package of progressive reforms.