OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Four communities across the Kalamazoo area are working to address potential large-scale energy projects through ordinances, moratoriums, and public hearings.
Richland Township, Comstock Township, the City of Portage, and Oshtemo Township are facing the issue head-on as Michigan works toward a goal of half of all energy being renewable by 2030.
The situations are tied to Michigan’s Public Act 233. The law allows an appointed state board to have the final say on large renewable energy projects that include wind, solar, or battery energy storage, meaning the final decision ultimately does not come from a local government.
I talked with Catherine Mullhaupt, staff attorney for the Michigan Townships Association, about how Public Act 233 impacts municipalities.
“Unlike other things, that if you choose to plan and zone, you can regulate land uses in your community, you are extremely limited in how you can do that, under this law, for these particular types of renewable energy facilities,” Mullhaupt said.
Communities are taking different approaches to Battery Energy Storage Systems, or BESS.
Comstock Township adopted an ordinance to help regulate BESS implementation, while Portage has a temporary moratorium in place.
In Richland Township, leaders heard from Consumers about a proposed solar farm during a public hearing.
In Oshtemo Township, there are currently no applications for a battery storage facility, and the township has a moratorium in place until November.
However, the looming potential of a facility was enough for Katie Schneider to rally her neighbors. Schneider lives out in the country on her pumpkin farm and wants to see her area stay as it is.
“We’re not against the low emission energy projects. But the batteries are a whole different animal. They’re very different from solar or wind,” Schneider said.
“I think everybody across Michigan is kind of looking at their backyards, thinking, what could go here?” Schneider said.
Schneider said if she had not started paying attention to her township meetings, she would have never known about the issue. She learned about it while at a meeting asking for permission to have a hayride on her farm.
“Start going to your township meetings. That’s the best place to go. See where they’re at on it,” Schneider said.
Based on the interviews I have done and the presentations I have watched, this is a new process. According to leaders in the field, there is only one similar project that has broken ground: a solar project in Coldwater Township in Branch County.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
