Making the Case for Clean Energy

I’ve been following the progress of a proposed Solar installation in rural Meade Township, Michigan. There are lessons that apply regionally and nationally – since the deployment of clean energy in the rural midwest is a critical battleground for the global energy transition.
Recently enacted siting reforms in Michigan, (as well as Minnesota and Illinois) have been aimed at breaking a logjam of permitting that arises at the local level, as MAGA style Yahoos have descended on normally sleepy township meetings intimidating and threatening local boards into enacting unworkable (and in Michigan, at least, illegal) “Exclusionary” ordinances that block the development of clean energy.

The legislation has set up a new body at the Michigan Public Service Commission, where developers who believe they have been unfairly treated can appeal local decisions.

The law, passed in November of 2023, officially went into effect last week – but over the last year there has been a clear movement at the local level, empowering cooler heads, and encouraging the mostly moderate, sane, traditional Republicans at the local level to move permitting forward, not only to protect farmer’s property rights, but to take advantage of huge revenue streams that arise from clean energy development.

Below, an 8 minute series of interviews with Attorney Emily Palacios, who represents utility giant DTE (see above) in permitting actions across Michigan, as well as a number of local farmers who have been frustrated by the storm trooper tactics of fossil fuel coordinated opposition.

In Meade Township, the project moves forward, subject to, hopefully, a similarly positive permit process in a neighboring township.

Following a pretty dark month, I came away from last night’s meeting with a reaffirmed sense of what is possible if we just keep our heads down and keep working at the local level. The situation locally has not changed much, but a lot of communication will be needed to explain and accelerate the needed changes, as well as keep defending them in coming election cycles.