FAYETTE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (News 10) – The Fayette Township Planning Commission this week rejected a large-scale solar energy project proposed by Ranger Power.
The plan, called Heartwood II, would have converted 1,400 acres of farmland into solar panels.
Dairy farmer and longtime Fayette Township resident Bill Van Deusen opposed the project.
“Money isn’t the issue here, you know,” Van Deusen said.
Van Deusen said the project wasn’t the right fit for the township.
“I just don’t like the way it looks and I don’t think it’s the answer to what they’re trying to do either,” Van Deusen said.
The rejection comes after Ranger Power already installed solar panels on multiple acres on the west side of the township as part of its earlier Heartwood I project.
Van Deusen was blunt about his feelings toward the company’s expansion plans.
“They just want to come in, and it just makes it look like hell I think,” Van Deusen said.
His concerns extended beyond aesthetics.
“Community, well, and just the environment in general,” Van Deusen said.
Despite the planning commission’s rejection, Van Deusen said he doesn’t believe the matter is settled. State law allows companies to bypass local governments and seek state approval for projects.
“I really don’t know,” Van Deusen said, when asked about the future of the project.
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