After residents and officials spent several years debating whether or not wind turbines are good for the county, voters turned down additional development in Sherman, Sigel, Sand Beach, Lincoln, Dwight and Bloomfield townships in May. The referendums for wind energy overlay zones proposed by NextEra Energy Resources and DTE Energy failed in county-zoned municipalities by a 2 to 1 margin.

General Michigan

On Saturday morning, the Juniata Township Planning Commission planned a Public Hearing for Special Land Use Permits (SLUP) for the Pegasus Wind Center. The meeting was to be held in a tent outside in the snowy winter weather at 9am with two tall propane heaters on the grass in the center of the tent. 

General Michigan

Some were upset the commission decided to hold the hearing in a tent on a cold and snowy December day and speculated it was done to diminish the turnout.

General Michigan

This important letter by acoustician Stephen Ambrose explains how two separate court decisions, one in Massachusetts and the other in Michigan, together provide clarity on what the minimum protective noise limits should be when siting industrial wind energy facilities. Mr. Ambrose's letter includes links to the two decisions as well as supporting background information. The content of the letter is shown below. The original can be downloaded from this page.

Noise Legal USA Massachusetts Michigan

Several Garden Peninsula residents attended the commission’s meeting to share their thoughts on the plans. Among them were people who had issues with the proposed placements of some of Heritage’s new wind turbines — and the impact turbine setbacks could have on their own properties. “I think you need to revisit your setback requirements,” Fairbanks Township resident Larry Kelly said.

Zoning/Planning Michigan

BURNSIDE TWP. — Officials at DTE Energy claim proposed amendments to Burnside Township’s wind ordinance “indicate a bias against wind energy development,” and are restrictive enough to exclude the 499- foot industrial machines “entirely from the township.”

Zoning/Planning Michigan

A federal judge recently dealt a blow to big wind development in a Tuscola County township. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources sued Almer Township in U.S. District Court in February alleging that the township's Board of Trustees had systematically tried to prevent the development of a wind farm.

Legal Michigan

This important decision by US District Court Judge Thomas L. Ludington addresses two arguments proffered by the wind industry. The first relates to the industry's argument that noise standards for limiting turbine noise emissions that are based on Lmax are not reasonable. The second discusses the argument that restricitve ordinances, in this case an Lmax noise limit, are de facto exclusionay zoning. Judge Ludington takes both claims on and finds the wind company's arguments are without merit. A portion of the decision is provided below. The full decision can be downloaded from this page.

Noise Legal Zoning/Planning Michigan

It could be the calm before the storm. News that property owners in Burlington and North Branch townships have signed easement agreements for wind energy development, recent developments have prompted Arcadia Township officials to begin considering a wind turbine ordinance of their own.

Zoning/Planning Michigan

A costly legal war over wind turbines in northern Lapeer County is such a sure bet that an insurance agent told the Burnside Township Board of Trustees Monday he won’t run the risk of writing an insurance policy for the municipality. ...“Now I know why I’m here,” Lansky told the board, later adding “you guys are getting in deeper and deeper water, and I don’t know if you can bail yourselves out regardless of the decisions that you make.”

General Michigan

DTE Energy on Tuesday announced plans for a dramatic transformation of its power generation. $15B proposal would dramatically increase use of natural gas, wind power

General Michigan

The plans for wind turbines in Northeast Lapeer County are moving forward. Whether it was to simply learn or to express their opposition, a number of concerned residents came out to Monday evening's Burnside Township Board Meeting.

General Michigan

“The residents of Lapeer County and the state of Michigan are strapped with an agreement that was made between our former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Detroit Edison (DTE), and Consumers Power following a statewide vote of the people to allow for 10 percent of all energy produced in the state of Michigan to be generated to be generated with a renewable energy,” Roy said in his statement. “Unfortunately, people did not realize that even though we have enough energy it would have to be reduced to allow for the renewable 10 percent solar and wind.”

General Michigan

Since April, DTE Electric Company has recorded easements on 276 parcels of agricultural property in Branch County for the purpose of evaluation for wind farm developments. Atwell Engineering, as agents for DTE, has negotiated and recorded documents from 59 property owners mostly in Union, Sherwood and Matteson Townships.

Impact on People Michigan

Editor's note: Windaction has been informed by parties in Michigan that this mediation step was ordered and completed more than a month before this article was filed by the Associated Press. No agreement was reached in mediation. Almer Township contends that a permit was denied due to NextEra's failure to meet the requirements in law. A hearing before the court was held in September and the parties are awaiting a final decision by the judge. 

Legal Michigan

NORTH BRANCH TWP. — North Branch Township resident Traci Martin did not expect to spend last week doing things like securing folding chairs and tables, finding a microphone and podium, and figuring out how she might feed as many as 500 people.

General Michigan

Some members of the Huron County Planning Commission are disappointed in a recent wind energy zoning report from Michigan State University Extension. ...Planner Ken Walker called the report "very one-sided." "This is not independent," he said. "To me, it's useless."

Zoning/Planning Michigan

DTE Energy's Sigel wind energy facility experienced another blade failure. Other blades have failed in recent years at the same project. The Sigel project is comprised of 40 GE 1.6-100 towers and was placed in service in October 2012.

Safety Structural Failure Michigan

Another blade break in Michigan.

Safety Structural Failure Michigan

Although a wind turbine manufacturer has denied the Huron County Planning Commission's request for access to a safety manual, some planners still want specific information contained in the manual. Residents and planning officials are concerned that turbine manufacturer Vestas and Sempra Renewables, owner of the Apple Blossom wind park, are trying to hide something by not making the manual accessible.

General Michigan