Amid outcry, solar farm owner says it no longer wants Michigan forest to expand

• State officials hope to lease 420 acres of state land outside Gaylord to expand a solar energy project being planned on private land nearby
• Area lawmakers responded with fury, calling for firings within the Department of Natural Resources
• The company involved in the solar project is now distancing itself from the plan to use state land

Jan. 7: Gaylord solar lease plan sparks broad battle over green energy in Michigan

A proposal to lease 420 acres of state land near Gaylord for a solar energy development is on shaky ground after attracting criticism from lawmakers, including calls for “mass firings” of state employees involved in the plan.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will issue a public notice Tuesday of its intent to lease the property in Hayes Township, just west of Gaylord, said Scott Whitcomb, director of the agency’s public lands office.

The parcel abuts private property already slated for a roughly 1,000-acre solar development by RWE Clean Energy. Whitcomb said company officials approached the DNR about a year ago looking to expand onto state land.

For years, DNR officials have explored ways to use state land for renewable energy development as the state transitions away from fossil fuels. The Gaylord-area property seemed promising because it is bisected by power transmission lines that could transport solar energy, and has been impacted by logging, oil and gas drilling and damage from a 2022 tornado.

“All of that went into our thinking that (solar development) might work here,” Whitcomb said, “whereas it might not work elsewhere.”

Related:

• Deep in the UP, an abandoned mine could offer hope for green energy fights
• Wind wars: Wind turbines put green energy on the ballot in mid-Michigan
• Michigan’s controversial wind, solar energy law is in effect. What to know
• Ann Arbor hopes to bring rooftop solar to the masses by creating a utility

But the proposal drew immediate outrage among some lawmakers who argue state forests should be off-limits to solar developments. Republican state Reps. Ken Borton of Gaylord and Mike Hoadley of Au Gres and Sen. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, released a statement calling for firings within the DNR, and Democratic Rep. Mike McFall of Hazel Park criticized the proposal on the social media platform X.

“Clearly the DNR has lost sight of their original mission of protecting our natural resources,” Borton told Bridge in a Monday interview.

By Monday afternoon, RWE was distancing itself from the proposal.

“RWE is not seeking to lease state-owned land for this project,” company spokesperson Patricia Kakridas said in an email to Bridge. 

The fight exemplifies the growing tensions in Michigan and nationally as the climate crisis fuels an energy transition that will require vast quantities of land for wind and solar farms.

In Michigan, Democratic lawmakers last year passed legislation requiring utilities to achieve 100% clean energy by 2040. To meet that mandate, Michigan may need to devote another 209,000 acres to wind and solar energy.

Finding land has proven difficult, as neighbors frequently object to proposed projects on private farmland.

In turn, state officials have been evaluating state land for renewable development. Whitcomb said the DNR could ultimately lease up to 4,000 acres, less than a tenth of a percent of the 4.6 million publicly owned acres under its care.

Tens of thousands of acres of state land are routinely leased, sold or contracted out to private companies for logging, mining, oil and gas extraction and other activities, and Whitcomb said he sees renewable energy as another valid use.

The DNR’s existing solar energy leases include a portion of the former Groveland iron mine in the Upper Peninsula’s Dickinson County and a 1,000-acre parcel in Roscommon County.

But developing state forests for clean energy comes with climate tradeoffs. Trees are a known carbon sink, and logging them to install solar panels can sometimes cancel out the climate gains.

Citing studies to that effect, McFall called the Gaylord proposal “incredibly counterproductive.”

Whitcomb countered that the property in question has already been repeatedly logged. About half of it contains mature forests today, while the rest is a mix of open land, freshly logged plantings, oil and gas development, storm-damaged land and transmission line clearings. 

The DNR would use proceeds from any solar lease to buy more land nearby, Whitcomb said.

Borton, the Gaylord-area lawmaker, said he supports the timber industry and has no problems with the oil and gas drill rigs that dot state land near his home. But he objects to solar farms on state land because he views them as more destructive to habitat and public access. 

“This is going to permanently, for many, many years, destroy that property's ability to be enjoyed by sportsmen, by wildlife,” he said. 

After the DNR’s public notice goes out Tuesday, residents will have 15 days to respond. If at least five county residents request a public meeting, the DNR must hold one before it can issue a request for proposals to lease the property.