NEWS RELEASE

DAVE PRESTIN, STATE REPRESENTATIVE

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State Rep. Dave Prestin on Wednesday voted to restore local oversight over large-scale renewable energy projects. The plan passed the House along party lines.

“We’re restoring local control because zoning authority belongs with the people who know their communities best,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River.

“Local governments plan their zoning out for decades. This process protects property rights across the board, from single-family homes to recreational areas and even the largest industrial facilities. People shouldn’t have to worry about the empty lot next to them being developed into green energy infrastructure. The state shouldn’t be able to decide that someone’s backyard is suitable for potentially hazardous renewable energy projects.”

House Bills 4027-4028 would restore zoning and permitting authority over large-scale renewable energy projects to local governments, a power currently held by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC). Under sweeping green energy laws passed in 2023, the MPSC is required to approve projects that meet certain qualifications under the law. Before the new laws, large-scale renewable energy projects required local approval.

“As the closest unit of government to the people, our local officials need zoning authority to plan their communities,” Prestin said. “That authority is undermined when the state can just drop a massive solar field or hundreds of windmills wherever they please. Current law doesn’t give local governments or even the MPSC any latitude to consider what community members want. These bills return zoning authority back to the communities where it rightfully belongs.”

The legislation now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

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