Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Solar Pa233 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge Ottawa County to consider intervention in paused RWE 'Silver Maple' siting case under PA 233
Summary
Multiple Zealand- and Jamestown-area residents and township officials asked the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners to evaluate intervening in RWE America's suspended utility-scale solar siting application under Michigan Public Act 233, citing lost local control, drainage and road impacts, and pending litigation; the board said it will route a draft response through the planning and policy committee if the application reactivates.
Dozens of residents and township officials urged the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners to consider intervening in RWE America's paused "Silver Maple" solar siting application under Michigan Public Act 233, arguing the law lets state review displace local land-use authority.
Connie Merrill of Zealand Township described the sequence of events leading to the state filing and said townships and residents have been shut out: "I'm asking Ottawa County leaders to consider the intervener invitation in the current case or any future submission. Please and to stand with us, protecting our farmland, our community, and local control." Several speakers said the MPSC application (case U‑22071) was suspended after a court ruling that counties are affected local units and must be offered intervention rights.
Speakers emphasized technical and procedural impacts: Brad Duerig said the proposed project covers 1,914 acres — "That is the size of the entire city of Zealand"— and warned about scale, drainage, and road impacts. Water-resources concerns surfaced repeatedly; Christy Mappleink told commissioners that the county’s detai led drainage map and tile systems must be considered before any siting certificate is advanced.
Others framed intervention as a procedural tool rather than a policy endorsement. Christy Mappleink said intervention "does not signal support or opposition. It's a procedural action that gives the county access to discovery and testimony under oath, the ability to challenge the developer's claims, add conditions, and retain appeal rights." Multiple petition filings and a civil lawsuit involving a landowner were cited as active legal matters connected to the project.
The chair said no board action was required while the application is suspended, and outlined a path forward: staff will gather commissioner input and the planning and policy committee will review the implications of intervening; any recommendation would return to the full board. Commissioners praised the public comments and asked staff to prepare a draft for committee review if RWE reactivates the application.
What happens next: the board has not yet intervened. If RWE lifts the suspension and the case proceeds, the planning and policy committee will consider staff analysis and public correspondence before the full board takes any formal action.
