By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The first step in the hearing process for the Silver Maple solar project in Zeeland and Jamestown townships at the state level was expected to take place today in Lansing.
A pre-hearing before Administrative Law Judge James Varchetti was expected to take place at 9:30 a.m. The hearing was to be held via video/teleconference, according to a notice from the Michigan Public Service Commission.
“This hearing will be a prehearing conference to set future hearing dates and decide other procedural matters,” the notice reads.
RWE Clean Energy is seeking approval from the MPSC of Silver Maple, a $330 million, 200-megawatt project. The company filed its application with state April 3. It has secured leases on 52 parcels totaling 1,914 acres of farmland, roughly 60 percent of which is in Zeeland Township. The company’s application document says the project would disturb 1,431 acres of land and be built on 1,127 acres of fenced-in property.
RWE applied for the project under Public Act 233, a state law that allows companies to apply for approval of large-scale renewable energy projects before MPSC – a three-member commission appointed by the governor that regulates utilities and telecommunications companies in the state. PA 233 was signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November 2023 after it passed the state Legislature.
“Prehearings are often relatively short and focused on procedural matters like scheduling, limitations on and scope of discovery, and addressing any petitions to intervene,” said Ryan Ferguson, RWE’s director of external communications. “Given that there are some intervenors proposed, the administrative law judge will likely take some time to discuss how they are expected to participate.”
A ruling on the completeness of RWE’s application may come at today’s hearing. If the application is deemed to be complete, the MPSC has one year to approve or deny the project.
The project has generated heated opposition from many residents of the two townships, who see the project as a threat to local agriculture and its rural character. Both township boards have passed resolutions of opposition to the project and have retained legal teams to argue their case before the MPSC.
“We will be granted intervenor status as the affected unit of government,” Township Supervisor Kerri Bosma said. “We’ll also learn which other intervenors will be participating and get a better understanding of the timeline moving forward. It’s really the first step in making sure our community has a seat at the table throughout this process.”
Some residents have banded together to form an organized opposition group called The Zeeland-Jamestown Preservation & Legacy Coalition. More than three dozen residents have filed petitions to intervene, asking the MPSC to be able to state their opposition to the project.
“I am a strong believer that we should be stewards of this prime farmland and continue to raise crops and animals on it,” township resident Erin Walcott wrote in a comment that she submitted to the MPSC. “I’m not opposed to solar but I believe there are many other options for solar like parking lot ramps, building roofs, and other unused areas.”
“I know we need to start investing in renewable energy but I feel as if there are much better areas to use for solar than farmland, for instance, what about the median on I-196 that is just due north of the proposed area,” township resident Blake Koning wrote. “That land currently sits there bringing no benefit to anyone. If we use this space for solar, no farmland will be taken out of production. At the end of the day, we need food to survive, (we) can't eat a battery.”
The Silver Maple would use 8.3 percent of Zeeland Township’s farmland and 4.5 percent of Jamestown Township’s farmland, RWE project manager Joe Brochu earlier told the Zeeland Record.
The project has received some comments of support, seeing solar as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. While most of the pro-solar comments appear to be from individuals outside of the area, a few residents have filed comments in support of Silver Maple.
“Solar farms are a smart investment because they generate renewable electricity without producing air pollution during operation,” township resident Bethney Rudick wrote in her comments to the MPSC. “They help communities meet growing energy needs while reducing dependence on finite fossil fuel resources. In addition, solar farm projects can create jobs, support local tax revenue, and strengthen long-term energy resilience.”
Brochu earlier said that Silver Maple would generate $31.6 million in local tax revenue over the expected 35-year life of the project – including $6.7 million for Zeeland Public Schools, $6.6 million for Ottawa County and $4.7 million for Zeeland Township.
The Township Board last month approved a host community agreement between the township and Silver Maple, PV (the entity RWE has created for the project) that would require the company to pay the township $2,000 per megawatt of nameplate capacity if the project goes into operation. That money could be used for any public purpose, including police, fire or infrastructure.
“Entering into that agreement in no way indicates support for the project,” attorney David Eberle of Bloom Sluggett told the board, adding that it does not impact the township’s ability to fight the project before the MPSC, at a May 19 meeting.
Zeeland Township has committed $200,000 - $125,000 of its own money plus $75,000 in intervenor funds that RWE was required to pay the township as part of its application – to fight the project. The township just paid Bloom Sluggett, the law firm representing the township before the MPSC, $30,000 in legal expenses from last month alone.
Zeeland Record
The first step in the hearing process for the Silver Maple solar project in Zeeland and Jamestown townships at the state level was expected to take place today in Lansing.
A pre-hearing before Administrative Law Judge James Varchetti was expected to take place at 9:30 a.m. The hearing was to be held via video/teleconference, according to a notice from the Michigan Public Service Commission.
“This hearing will be a prehearing conference to set future hearing dates and decide other procedural matters,” the notice reads.
RWE Clean Energy is seeking approval from the MPSC of Silver Maple, a $330 million, 200-megawatt project. The company filed its application with state April 3. It has secured leases on 52 parcels totaling 1,914 acres of farmland, roughly 60 percent of which is in Zeeland Township. The company’s application document says the project would disturb 1,431 acres of land and be built on 1,127 acres of fenced-in property.
RWE applied for the project under Public Act 233, a state law that allows companies to apply for approval of large-scale renewable energy projects before MPSC – a three-member commission appointed by the governor that regulates utilities and telecommunications companies in the state. PA 233 was signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November 2023 after it passed the state Legislature.
“Prehearings are often relatively short and focused on procedural matters like scheduling, limitations on and scope of discovery, and addressing any petitions to intervene,” said Ryan Ferguson, RWE’s director of external communications. “Given that there are some intervenors proposed, the administrative law judge will likely take some time to discuss how they are expected to participate.”
A ruling on the completeness of RWE’s application may come at today’s hearing. If the application is deemed to be complete, the MPSC has one year to approve or deny the project.
The project has generated heated opposition from many residents of the two townships, who see the project as a threat to local agriculture and its rural character. Both township boards have passed resolutions of opposition to the project and have retained legal teams to argue their case before the MPSC.
“We will be granted intervenor status as the affected unit of government,” Township Supervisor Kerri Bosma said. “We’ll also learn which other intervenors will be participating and get a better understanding of the timeline moving forward. It’s really the first step in making sure our community has a seat at the table throughout this process.”
Some residents have banded together to form an organized opposition group called The Zeeland-Jamestown Preservation & Legacy Coalition. More than three dozen residents have filed petitions to intervene, asking the MPSC to be able to state their opposition to the project.
“I am a strong believer that we should be stewards of this prime farmland and continue to raise crops and animals on it,” township resident Erin Walcott wrote in a comment that she submitted to the MPSC. “I’m not opposed to solar but I believe there are many other options for solar like parking lot ramps, building roofs, and other unused areas.”
“I know we need to start investing in renewable energy but I feel as if there are much better areas to use for solar than farmland, for instance, what about the median on I-196 that is just due north of the proposed area,” township resident Blake Koning wrote. “That land currently sits there bringing no benefit to anyone. If we use this space for solar, no farmland will be taken out of production. At the end of the day, we need food to survive, (we) can't eat a battery.”
The Silver Maple would use 8.3 percent of Zeeland Township’s farmland and 4.5 percent of Jamestown Township’s farmland, RWE project manager Joe Brochu earlier told the Zeeland Record.
The project has received some comments of support, seeing solar as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. While most of the pro-solar comments appear to be from individuals outside of the area, a few residents have filed comments in support of Silver Maple.
“Solar farms are a smart investment because they generate renewable electricity without producing air pollution during operation,” township resident Bethney Rudick wrote in her comments to the MPSC. “They help communities meet growing energy needs while reducing dependence on finite fossil fuel resources. In addition, solar farm projects can create jobs, support local tax revenue, and strengthen long-term energy resilience.”
Brochu earlier said that Silver Maple would generate $31.6 million in local tax revenue over the expected 35-year life of the project – including $6.7 million for Zeeland Public Schools, $6.6 million for Ottawa County and $4.7 million for Zeeland Township.
The Township Board last month approved a host community agreement between the township and Silver Maple, PV (the entity RWE has created for the project) that would require the company to pay the township $2,000 per megawatt of nameplate capacity if the project goes into operation. That money could be used for any public purpose, including police, fire or infrastructure.
“Entering into that agreement in no way indicates support for the project,” attorney David Eberle of Bloom Sluggett told the board, adding that it does not impact the township’s ability to fight the project before the MPSC, at a May 19 meeting.
Zeeland Township has committed $200,000 - $125,000 of its own money plus $75,000 in intervenor funds that RWE was required to pay the township as part of its application – to fight the project. The township just paid Bloom Sluggett, the law firm representing the township before the MPSC, $30,000 in legal expenses from last month alone.
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