Roughly 200 people attended the Fayette Township planning commission meeting Jan. 19. Christina Lewis | Collegian 
Residents of Fayette Township and the City of Hillsdale once again spoke against a project to turn 1,350 acres of farmland into a solar farm as Fayette’s planning commission considers moving forward with approval of the plan.
Roughly 200 people showed up to Fayette Township’s planning commission meeting on Monday, with no one voicing support for a project by Ranger Power, a Chicago-based solar energy company, which plans to build the solar farm on land in Fayette Township. The company needs the approval of the township’s planning commission, and a meeting last week of the township’s main board became a flashpoint for local opposition to the project.
The project is similar to one approved by the local authority in 2022, when Fayette Township authorized the Heartwood I solar project. This converted roughly 900 acres of land into a solar farm in the western part of the township. The following year, Michigan’s Democrat-controlled House, Senate, and governorship passed the Clean Energy & Jobs Act, which set a mandate of 100% clean energy by 2040. 
“I had no idea that you had approved that one out on the west end of town,” Nancy Ashton, a resident of Fayette Township, told Fayette’s planning commission at its Jan. 19 meeting. “It’s my own fault for being ignorant and just trusting my neighbors to be doing the right thing for the community.”
The Heartwood II solar project, proposed by Ranger Power, would build on the east side of the township. Some members of the planning commission with personal stakes in the project have recused themselves. The township’s supervisor’s parents have property in Heartwood I and Heartwood II, according to the Hillsdale Daily News. Due to the recusal, the meeting lacked enough members for a quorum and was adjourned after public comment.
Ranger Power could move forward with this project by going directly to the Michigan Public Service Commission, but it is faster and cheaper for them to stay local with fewer restrictions and oversight, said Steve Oleszkowicz, Fayette Township resident and founder of No Solar Fayette.
“The planning commission needs to appoint one new member to achieve a quorum, four people minimum,” Oleszkowicz said. “The new member has to be voted on by the board. They have to hold a meeting for that. So they either wait until their next regular meeting in February, or they schedule an emergency meeting, minimum hour notice. Once appointed and sworn in, then the commission can schedule a new meeting.”
During the public comment section, Chester Bryner, a Fayette Township resident, said he is concerned about the effects solar panels will have on wildlife and natural scenery. 
“We moved here to be out in the country and live the American dream. This is not the American dream, looking out at solar panels and reflections,” Bryner said. “People come to our swimming pool and they sit around and say, ‘Boy, this is beautiful. Wow. Look at the deer.’ They’re not going to be saying that if there are solar panels wrapped right around my house.”
Hillsdale College’s General Counsel, Bob Norton, and Deputy Counsel Neil Brady also attended the meeting on behalf of the college. Brady said Fayette Township should develop an ordinance, such as a Compatible Renewable Energy Ordinance, before the planning commission votes on the project so that solar developers are required to take their plans through the township first. 
“The bylaws for the commission are very onerous,” Brady said. “They’re tough to comply with, and if you don’t get this right, then you’re going to be looking at potential lawsuits. So, it’s important that we get the law right, that we go by the book.”
Adopting a CREO would allow Fayette Township to set its own standards, aligned with state law. Brady said the college is “willing to help as much as it can” to create the ordinance.
“This is not a minor change. It’s an industrial land use conversion that will reshape this region for many decades,” Norton said.
The proposed area for the Heartwood II solar project cuts into the headwaters region of the St. Joseph River watershed, which originates in Hillsdale County and spans state lines, Norton said. 
“This watershed supports sensitive aquatic life, including the clubshell muscle, a federally endangered species that inhabits the St. Joseph River and its connecting waterways,” Norton said. “Consequently, the township has a responsibility to prioritize water protection, ensuring the proper steps and permits are granted before any issues arise.”
Norton said although solar farms do not directly consume water like traditional power plants, a project of this magnitude will alter the land. 
“These changes include grading, compaction, draining patterns, access roads, and long-term vegetation management that also includes super sites,” Norton said. “These alterations impact runoff, erosion, and groundwater recharge. We should not accept vague assurances of best practices language. We need enforceable standards.”
Jane Munsford, chair of the planning commission, interrupted the public comment portion of the meeting to clarify that the commission is working on the ordinances.
“We have been working with a consultant for a couple of years on improving and bringing our ordinances up to date,” Munsford said. “And I know this is a concern, I have to say we are not anywhere near, we haven’t even begun to discuss this new project.”
Fayette Township Resident Scott Manifold ended his public comment with a prayer, saying it was necessary to pause.
“I pray that you would guide our commission down a path of righteousness and integrity, that they may represent the township as a whole,” Manifold prayed. “Lord, please protect our township from the influences both inside and outside our beautiful community that seek to alter our landscape for their financial gain.”

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