GAYLORD, MI – Several Michigan lawmakers are expressing outrage about plans to lease 420 acres of state forestland for a solar farm in Otsego County.

An official with the state Department of Natural Resources confirmed the agency continues to respond to multiple inquiries from legislators about siting solar panels on state-managed public lands after an MLive report published Thursday. Several Republican state lawmakers issued statements on Friday, arguing anyone at the DNR responsible for this decision should be fired.

DNR leadership recently decided to request bids for a solar project on public trust lands in Hayes Township, just west of Gaylord at the 45th Parallel. The effort would be a companion project to two other solar farms in the works on nearby private land.

All three solar installations would take advantage of proximity to a high-voltage power transmission line that runs through the area.

Related: Michigan plans to clear 400+ acres of state forest near Gaylord for solar farm

State Rep. Ken Borton, R-Gaylord, called the decision to destroy wildlife habitat for solar panels “mind-numbing.”

“We’ve all read the Lorax. If he thought like the DNR, he’d only be speaking for trees for as long as it took to fill his chainsaw with gas after the solar industry waved a fat wad of cash in his face,” Borton said in a released statement.

State Sen. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, said just as the DNR holds citizens accountable for unethical conservation actions, people are in turn demanding accountability for what she called an unethical conservation decision by the DNR.

“The people who made this absurd decision signed up for a job to protect our natural resources. Their department is supposed to stand up for outdoor enthusiasts,” Hoitenga said. “Instead, they sold us out.”

Only Republican lawmakers have so far sounded off over the news of possible deforestation of state land for solar panels.

Some of the state land in question has already been clear cut and replanted with red pine seedlings. Other areas remain forested and host oil and gas wellheads.

Ed Golder, DNR spokesperson, said the agency is working to answer lawmakers’ concerns and provide as much information as possible. He shared comments from DNR Director Scott Bowen that were previously sent to employees regarding this solar project and the agency’s larger solar efforts.

Bowen said the DNR manages 4.6 million acres of public land, including leasing property for many types of industrial development. Examples include gas and oil wells and processing facilities, pipelines and flowlines, mines, sand and gravel pits, asphalt plants and cell phone towers.

“As the largest landowner in the state, DNR can play a role in providing energy needed by society,” Bowen said in the memo to DNR staff.

“DNR lands have been leased for gas, oil, and mineral production for decades. Now, solar energy is part of the mix, and we expect some of our state lands can be used for that purpose while recognizing not every acre proposed for development is compatible with solar energy.”

Bowen acknowledged staff scientists raised concerns about the conversion of forested land to a solar farm. Different divisions apparently couldn’t reach consensus.

That’s why as DNR director, Bowen made the final decision to offer those 420 acres near Gaylord for solar projects in a competitive bidding process, he said.

“We intend to choose the right acres, in the right places, to achieve energy objectives. It is not our intent to have widespread conversions,” Bowen wrote to DNR employees.

“To date fewer than 1,500 acres have been leased for solar development. We expect fewer than 4,000 acres will be leased in total, less than the number of acres used for gas and oil wells on state lands,” he said.

Research has shown that the loss of carbon-dioxide consuming forests for renewable energy installations results in a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. That means converting forests to renewable energy is counter-productive to the climate fight.

MLive filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documents and digital files associated with the state’s solar project near Gaylord on Oct. 21, 2024, which remains pending.

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