Legislator delivers speech urging colleagues to support the measure

State Rep. Pat Outman helped advance a Republican plan to restore zoning and permitting authority over large-scale solar and wind projects back to local governments. The legislation passed the House along party lines.

House Bills 4027-28 would ensure local governments – not Lansing bureaucrats – have decision-making authority over zoning decisions regarding large-scale wind and solar projects. Under current law, put in place by Democrats in 2023, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) has the authority to override local zoning decisions. Previously, local officials could sign off on large-scale wind and solar projects, like any other local proposal, giving the people more control over what happens in their own backyards.

“Neighbors in rural communities like mine are the ones who live near these projects and are affected by the loss of farmland, the changes to rural landscapes, the glare, the noise, and the impact on local wildlife. It’s their property values, schools, roads, and emergency services that are affected,” Outman said during a speech urging his colleagues to support the measure during today’s House session. “They shouldn’t be forced to accept one-size-fits-all decisions made miles away by people who will never set foot in the affected community.”

Earlier this month, dozens of local residents and officials appeared in Lansing to voice their support for restoring local control. A sign that communities across Michigan overwhelmingly approve of reversing the 2023 Democrat law.

“Alternative energy is not truly sustainable if it’s built on the erosion of local democracy,” Outman said. “Local governments know their communities better than Lansing bureaucrats. It’s time to restore their authority wind and solar projects.”

The plan now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

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