DTE and local communities reach agreement on taxation of wind parks

The Michigan Renewable Energy Collaborative (MREC) and DTE Energy (DTE) has reached an agreement ending litigation regarding the taxation of nine DTE wind parks located in Huron, Gratiot, Sanilac and Isabella counties.

 

“We would like to acknowledge the professionalism of the leadership team at DTE who agreed to move forward to reach a fair and favorable resolution after years of litigation,” said Carl Osentoski, coordinator, Michigan Renewable Energy Collaborative. “This is a good step forward in improving relations with local communities and in resolving assessment issues for utility scale wind parks in Michigan. We hope the agreement with DTE will provide a roadmap for other wind park owners to resolve their pending tax appeal cases as well.”

 

The settlement provides significant benefits for the local communities including certainty and predictability with respect to the refunds owed to DTE allowing the communities to better plan for the future. In addition, the communities can continue to use their tax collections from DTE wind parks for community support services including roads, local libraries, parks and recreation, police, services for senior citizens and veterans, and general funds.

 

“DTE recognizes and appreciates the importance of these local communities in helping Michigan transition to cleaner energy. We are pleased to have found a mutually beneficial solution to maintain customer affordability and meet the needs of our partner communities,” said Chuck Conlen, vice president, Renewable Energy for DTE Energy.

 

Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com.