Residents raise noise, property value and wildlife concerns about solar projects and battery storage

Multiple residents used public comment time at the Gratiot County commissioners meeting to voice concerns about existing and planned solar projects, lithium battery storage and the county’s planning and master‑plan process.

Barb Litwiller told the board she and her husband bought a 10‑acre parcel on Tyler Road to enjoy hunting and rural life; she said a single neighboring farmer has signed up for a large solar project that would surround their property on three sides and would leave them effectively “surrounded by solar panels.” She cited fire risks associated with lithium‑ion battery storage, saying local fire chiefs had told her that battery fires can reignite and require specialized training and equipment. Litwiller also raised concerns about noise from inverters and transformers, potential soil contamination requiring removal of topsoil, electromagnetic frequency effects, and possible property value declines.

Later in public comment, Sheila (last name not specified) presented photos and a long statement criticizing how renewable energy projects have been sited and planned in the county. She said the county’s planning commission is updating ordinances for solar and battery storage and that an environmental consultant (Spicer Group) is advising on battery storage language. Sheila urged wider setbacks, landscaping/berms, placing inverters centrally in arrays, greater transparency about master‑plan objectives and survey methods and questioned whether economic development organizations or donors affiliated with energy companies had undue influence on the master plan process. She also referenced Public Act 233 (statutory sections cited in her remarks) regarding state siting considerations for energy projects.

Commissioners responded by noting jurisdictional limits: county staff said township planning commissions control zoning in some areas and that the county only directly zones six of 16 townships; staff pointed residents to starting points for appeals or ordinance changes (township planning commissions). No formal board action on solar siting or ordinance text was taken at the meeting; commissioners encouraged residents to work with township boards and planning commissions and to attend upcoming local hearings (the transcript records a Pine River Township meeting about a DTE tax‑exemption request scheduled for 7 p.m.).