VEVAY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WILX) – A new proposed solar farm just south of Mason is getting some pushback from neighbors.
Ranger Power, a Chicago-based energy development company, is proposing the Acceleration Solar Project. The project is a 90-megawatt solar farm in Ingham County.
A ‘notice of hearing’ and a ‘ notice of public comment’ were sent to residents at the end of October who live in the vicinity where the farm would be located.
Erica Waltz lives on the border of Aurelius Township and Vevay Township, just across from where the project is proposed.
Waltz says she moved there four years ago after living in Lansing to escape the bigger city and find somewhere in the countryside.
Waltz says she enjoys the wildlife, the peace, and the “uninterrupted view” of the open space in her new home.
But moving there did come with one big fear.
“[I] think my dad said something about solar farm projects, I’m like ‘Dad, don’t, no it’s not going to happen’,” Waltz said.
One of the concerns, outside of disrupting the current landscape, Waltz says she has with this project is the impact on property value.
“I’ve spent a lot of time and effort, you know, adding value to my home, in the four years, a lot of improvements, and I’m dismayed because I think will that all be for not?” she said.
Her concerns also take the future of the land into account. Waltz wants to know what will happen once the farm is no longer in use.
“What kind of, you know, decommissioning and clauses are in these contracts with these companies to hold them accountable, and liable, and financially liable for when [the company is done],” Waltz said.
Waltz, along with several neighbors, sent a letter detailing their frustrations to the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Another concerned county resident is Ella Lovette, who has lived in Vevay Township for 60 years. She says she just wants the land surrounding her to be “farm country”.
“I’ve seen [solar panels] in other areas and I was not happy with what I saw,” Lovette said.
Lovette received the same notice as Waltz. She says she plans on attending the public hearing to ask Ranger Power, ‘Why here?’
“I like to say, ‘hey, I’m a country girl.’ We’ll if we have a lot of growth and panels and other things out here, it’s not going to be the country out here that I’m used to,” she said.
Ranger Power, in a statement sent to News 10, said the location was selected “because it is sited close to large load centers like Lansing, East Lansing, and Jackson, where the power is greatly needed and the existing transmission system is robust…Furthermore, Ranger Power ensures the site selection process avoids impacts to wetlands, streams, rare plants, and endangered animals.”
Once operational, this farm will produce enough energy to power 20,000 homes.
A few environmental precautions are also being taken, including the planting of vegetation, which is expected to rebuild soil, improve water quality, and reduce stormwater runoff.
Additionally, once the farm is no longer in use, Ranger Power will restore the land for agricultural use.
There will be an online hearing on Friday, November 14th at 9 a.m.. This hearing will act as a “pre-hearing conference to set future hearing dates and decide other procedural matters.”
The notice sent to neighbors said those wishing to participate should contact LARA-MOAHR-PSC@michigan.gov in advance of the hearing.
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