I’ve been speaking to local farmers and former officials in Lenawee County, in Southeast Michigan, where a decade ago, a wind farm project was blocked by the usual combination of abuse, threats, flashmobs and disinformation. The developers of that project simply moved up to Gratiot County, 140 miles to the north, where they were welcomed with open arms. Since then, Gratiot has seen massive benefits, and welcomed more projects – while Lenawee struggles.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a division of the U.S. Department of Education, Blissfield schools receive 73 percent of their money from the state and spend $10,978 per student.
Compare that to the Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port-Laker School District in Huron County, which is home to a wind farm. There, the district receives only 36 percent of its money from the state while spending $15,201 per student each year. That’s 38 percent more per year than Blissfield school spends per student.
Much of that extra money is because of a $19.1 million bond issue passed in 2018 that helped the district build a new athletic facility, innovation center and school auditorium.
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Below, I’ve collected some accounts from counties that embraced wind development, and what the impact has been on tax revenues and improved services.
But there is hope for the future.
As more successful clean energy projects take root, and the bogus misinformation is proven to be just that, wind may yet come back to Lenawee.