(The Center Square) – Democrat and Republican lawmakers have joined to oppose a proposed Michigan solar farm they should would potentially destroy more than 400 acres of state forest.
A bipartisan letter to Department of Natural Resources Director Scott Bowen demanded the director address how “flattening over 400 acres of forest to clear the way for foreign-built solar panels fits within your department’s mission.”
The project was first reported by MLive and would lease a portion of the state’s public trust land near Gaylord for the solar project to RWE Clean Energy.
After initial reports and outcry from both Democrats and Republicans, the company is no longer seeking to lease the land.
State Rep. Ken Borton, R-Gaylord, called the project “terrible” and a product of the “radical green energy agenda.”
“Any person who thinks swapping trees for solar panels is a good idea has no business being employed by the department tasked with responsibly managing and protecting our natural resources,” Borton said. “DNR staff either completely forgot their job or were entirely corrupt from the start. Whatever the truth is, it’s inexcusable and nothing short of a fireable offense. The people involved in these decisions shouldn’t be out of the job for too long considering how cozy they are with the solar farm industry.”
This solar farm is just one of many environmental projects the state is pursuing, many a part of the Michigan Healthy Climate Plan, which “lays out a pathway for Michigan to reach 100% carbon neutrality by 2050.”
Jason Hayes, director of energy and environmental policy for Michigan’s Mackinac Center, pointed out how inconsistent many of the green policies and initiatives coming from the state are.
“This is a clear conflict between Michigan’s stated environmental goals and our environmental practices,” Hayes said. “We are going to have to replace hundreds of thousands of acres of forests and farmland to meet our net zero goals.”
Gaylord and the surrounding area averages 136 inches of snow per year. On average, it also sees 167 sunny days per year, compared to the national average of 205 sunny days per year. This makes it one of the “least conformable” places in Michigan.
Borton said this project highlights a more systemic problem throughout the DNR.
“The DNR has lost the public trust and failed at managing conservation efforts; there is no way we’re going to let them find new ways to screw up energy production, especially at the expense of our natural resources,” he said. “It’s time the DNR come clean on this disastrous plan.”
Ultimately, Hayes argues that consumers will pay the price for these programs, while “monopoly utilities and solar developers” will benefit.
The bipartisan letter also called for the DNR to release information on any other similar plans to lease public lands in the state to other private green-energy companies.
“The responsibility of your department is to protect and manage our natural resources, not get into business with unknown companies and foreign technologies with very little history of success,” the letter told Bowen. “We’re glad the Gaylord project is finally in the public eye where it belongs, now it’s time to shed some light on plans throughout the state.”
