Try the political quiz
@ISIDEWITHQuestionsthe EnvironmentMichiganRenewable energyLand UsePublic Act 233Clean Energy PolicyStates: Michigan•••Started 4mos agoActive 6 days ago

Should Michigan state officials have the power to approve wind and solar projects over the objection of local township governments?

In 2023, Governor Whitmer signed controversial legislation (Public Act 233) that transfers the authority to approve large-scale renewable energy projects from local townships to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC). This shift allows the state to bypass local zoning restrictions to expedite the construction of wind and solar farms needed to meet Michigan’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2040. Proponents argue this is a necessary step to modernize the grid and fight climate change against "NIMBY" (Not In My Backyard) obstruction. Opponents argue it strips rural communities of "home rule" rights, forcing industrial-scale developments onto farmland against the will of local residents.

+
Expand

Knowledge quiz

How much do you know about Michigan?

See if you know more than the average American.

Test your knowledge!

20 Replies

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...4mos4MO

No

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...4mos4MO

Yes

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...4mos4MO

No, this destroys "home rule" and lets Lansing bureaucrats force industrial projects on rural communities

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...4mos4MO

Yes, but only if local governments fail to propose viable renewable energy alternatives first

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...4mos4MO

Yes, local "NIMBY" obstruction prevents Michigan from meeting its critical clean energy goals

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...4mos4MO

No, we should not sacrifice prime agricultural farmland for intermittent energy sources

 @BDZ4YF8 from Michigan  answered…6 days6D

Yes but only if the power project is in lieu of an AI barn or Amazon warehouse.

 @BDL2H4B from Michigan  answered…1mo1MO

If the local township completely disagrees with it, then no

 @BDGY6XX from Michigan  answered…1mo1MO

Approval of projects should be granted by Indigenous leadership with stewardship and sovereignty in the area.

 @BD54MYS from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

They should come to a compromise.

 @BD46CVY from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

yes only if they agree

 @BCZGGN4 from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

Yes only if the local government help with the funds

 @BCWS7YC from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

Is there not a way the local and state governments could compromise on the issue for the most benefit of the citizens they supposedly serve?

 @BCVCT9LLibertarian from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

Yes, but solely for projects built upon already-existing buildings. Local governments should have the power to protect vital farmland.

 @BCPJG4M from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

no comment

 @BCNY5MTIndependent  from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

No, unless it is nuclear energy.

 @BC8BSR2 from Michigan  answered…3mos3MO

No, we should also put solar panels over parking lots rather than in fields

 @BBVDRY9 from Michigan  answered…3mos3MO

yes, but also add some of the objection of local township governments.

 @BBVD9VS from Michigan  answered…3mos3MO

It violates eminent domain, so no, plus we shouldn't rezone areas that were already zoned for a different purpose. It was zoned like that for a reason; there are other ways to figure out clean energy.

 @BDLH3RYNo Labels  from Michigan  answered…1mo1MO

both it depends, yes and no

Demographics

Loading the political themes of users that engaged with this discussion

Loading data...

More conversations

Join in on more popular conversations.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Israeli Bombings Kill 2,300 In Lebanon in 3 weeks

Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.The Israeli military has ordered people living in more than a quarter of Lebanon to flee, according to a UN calculation, as its fight with the Iran-backed Shia militant group Hizbollah threatens to engulf the Mediterranean country.Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.More than 1mn people have fled their homes in Lebanon in under a month, according to its government, a dramatic forced movement of the population in a country of only about 5mn inhabitants with a land mass smaller than the US state of Connecticut. Israeli forces began a ground offensive in south Lebanon two weeks ago, in their fourth invasion of the country in under five decades. They had already destroyed large parts of the densely populated southern Beirut suburb where Hizbollah had its headquarters, and killed many top militant commanders in air strikes, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah.Rema Jamous Imseis, Middle East director of UNHCR, told journalists in Geneva that “over 25 per cent of [Lebanon is] under a direct Israeli military evacuation order”. “People are heeding these calls to evacuate and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” she added, saying that 80 per cent of the shelters opened by the Lebanese government — mostly in schools — were now full.

▲  1012 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

A Moment of Darkness': Washington Post's No-Endorsement Decision Ignites Media Firestorm

Even though the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is neck and neck, The Washington Post has decided not to make a presidential endorsement for the first time in 36 years, the publisher and CEO announced Friday."We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates," Will Lewis wrote in an opinion piece published on the paper's website. He referenced the paper's policy in the decades prior to 1976, when, following the Watergate scandal that the Post broke, it endorsed Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter. The last time the Post did not endorse a presidential candidate in the general election was 1988, according to a search of its archives.Colleagues learned the news from the editorial page editor, David Shipley, at a tense meeting shortly before Lewis' announcement. The meeting was characterized by someone with direct knowledge of discussions on condition of anonymity to speak about internal matters.Shipley said that he told other editorial board leaders Thursday by management that there would be no endorsement, though he has known for weeks. He added that he "owns" this decision. The reason he cited was to create "independent space" where the newspaper does not tell people for whom to vote.Colleagues were said to be "shocked" and uniformly negative. Post corporate spokespeople have not responded to multiple messages left by NPR on the subject.Former Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron, who led the newsroom to acclaim during Trump's presidency, denounced the decision starkly."This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty," Baron said in a statement to NPR. "Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage."A similar decision by Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong led this week to the resignations of the paper's editorials editor and two editorial board members. Soon-Shiong said that he had asked the editorial board to draft a "factual analysis" of Trump and Harris' policies and plans. In her resignation letter, editorials editor Mariel Garza said the decision made the paper look “craven and hypocritical,” given its past reporting and editorials on Trump.

▲  1013 replies