Mr. President, I rise in support of the legislation before us to streamline and improve the approval process for building large-scale renewable energy projects in Michigan. These bills are an essential component to pursuing and achieving a clean energy future in Michigan, diversifying our economy, supporting workers, farmers and consumers, and making Michigan a national leader on clean energy—all while embracing and enhancing personal property rights and upholding public and community input and authority.
It is important to understand that the Michigan Public Service Commission already has siting authority over critical infrastructure—that’s gas and oil pipelines, oil and gas wells, the electrical transmission and distribution networks, as well as utility generation facilities. This legislation brings utility-scale renewable generation under the same existing siting authority.
Mr. President, for years our constituents have called for decisive action to address climate change—concerns that have largely gone unaddressed until this year. The Clean Energy Future plan and this companion siting legislation needed to achieve it will improve our environment, energy service, and reliability by using cleaner forms of energy production that are already in use. And in doing so, this legislation not only helps address climate change, but tackles current challenges with our energy infrastructure, reducing energy shortages and outages, and helping diversify our generation sources away from fossil fuels.
Not only did this legislation benefit from lengthy and extensive feedback from local officials, energy stakeholders and the general public, but also key was hearing from the farmers and landowners who want this legislation, who want the freedom to decide what to do with their land, land that in many cases has been in their families for generations and who see hosting large-scale solar and wind projects as a way to keep land in the family ownership. Oh, by the way, it’s completely voluntary. No one is forcing a landowner to do this.
Mr. President, these bills, along with the Clean Energy Future plan, represent policy that is both transformative and responsible, tackling climate change where past legislatures have not—creating good jobs, transforming Michigan’s economy and workforce, and ultimately reducing energy costs and outages for all consumers. I urge a “yes” vote.
Senator Brinks’ statement is as follows:
With this legislation, along with the rest of the Clean Energy Future package, we are setting an example for the rest of the nation on how to navigate the deeply-complex realm of energy policy in a way that promotes affordability and reliability, drives job creation, and honors the role we must play in mitigating climate change. From protecting the rights of private property owners, to ensuring that the men and women who build this infrastructure are paid well and are safe on the job, to establishing safeguards for prime farmland and even going so far as to protect the dark skies at night, these bill sponsors have left no stone unturned. This is a critical component of achieving our bold clean energy goals in a smart and responsible way that moves Michigan forward. Thank you, I urge a “yes” vote.
The following bill was read a third time:
House Bill No. 5121, entitled
A bill to amend 2006 PA 110, entitled “Michigan zoning enabling act,” by amending section 205 (MCL 125.3205), as amended by 2018 PA 366.
The question being on the passage of the bill,
The bill was passed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor, as follows: