I am a planning commissioner in a small township in Michigan.
We are looking at writing zoning requirements for wind farms and solar farms in our township. We currently don’t have any, which is an open invitation to the power companies.
We are 90% agricultural, and the citizens want it to stay that way, so we have been advised to be proactive; otherwise we will be steamrolled.
Our state has mandated 100% renewable energy by 2030 I believe. Not sure about the year. But this has put the energy producers in a bind. They must comply, but no one wants to sell/lease land to them, because the land they want is mostly farm land, already cleared of trees and mostly flat or rolling.
We do have some areas in the state already that have wind turbines, but not enough. I foresee the government taking the land for this purpose. We will starve to death, but have “green” energy
I proposed language in our zoning ordinance that states we will allow it in our township, but only in areas that have been declared wetlands. Let the greenies pick what is more important...
All agreed, but it hasn’t been publically discussed yet. Most likely, we will allow it in 1% or 10% of the land area of the townhip, and designate that area location.
“set-asides”, land that is restricted to a single use..............