Michigan Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Checks and Balances Project

False Claims About Infrasound Sound Dominate Wind Debates

2022-01-13

Opponents of wind energy falsely claim that a type of low-frequency sound called “infrasound” harms human health. Yet, no scientific consensus exists that it does so. Misinformation about infrasound is so pervasive that it routinely appears in debates, official correspondence and ordinances in rural Michigan townships related to wind projects. Ordinances in several Michigan townships… Read more »

Language In Anti-Wind Ordinances Undercut by Scientific Research On Which Ordinances Are Based

2022-01-6

A series of zoning ordinances approved by townships in rural Michigan rely on scientific research that undercuts – not supports – the claims made to back the ordinances, a Checks and Balances Project analysis shows. The ordinances in Almer, Casnovia and Pierson Townships cite six government and scientific reports to justify the passage of the… Read more »

Michigan County’s Bet On Wind Power Starting To Pay Off

2021-12-27

The success of wind projects in adjacent Gratiot County encouraged elected officials in Isabella County to support the development of a wind project that is projected to earn local governments at least $30 million in taxes. Isabella is a heavily agricultural county that hosts Central Michigan University. Now, with the Isabella Wind I and II… Read more »

Meade Township Pays The Price For Believing Anti-Wind Rhetoric

2021-11-12

BAD AXE, Mich. – Farmer Paul Holz looks from his home in Meade Township, Mich., to neighboring townships and regrets what could have been. Holz had signed leases with DTE Energy in hopes of placing wind turbines on his land. But resistance fomented by long-time anti-wind agitator Kevon Martis and allied out-of-town wind energy opponents… Read more »

As Anti-Wind Zoning Ordinances Spread Across Michigan, Ordinances’ Language Varies Little

2021-11-10

A series of virtually identical zoning ordinances that restrict the development of wind farms has spread across parts of rural Michigan, a Checks and Balances Project analysis shows. Two of the three ordinances were drafted with the help of the Grand Rapids-based law firm Foster Swift Collins & Smith, whose partner Michael Homier is part… Read more »

Which Huron County School Districts Benefit The Most From Wind?

2021-11-4

Determining the benefits from wind energy for schools in Huron County required several steps. First, we had to learn how many school districts are in the county and their boundaries. Many covered multiple townships. Second, we learned the exact locations of each wind farm in the county and the locations of the turbines. We used… Read more »

Born of Great Recession Pressure, Michigan County’s Bet On Wind Energy Now Pays Big

2021-10-22

As the nation lurched toward a financial crisis in 2007 and 2008, leaders in central Michigan’s Gratiot County say they realized then that they had a lifeline to economic stability: Embracing wind energy. They used the county’s planning process to allow the placement of wind farms throughout Gratiot County. These wind farms now provide at… Read more »

County Records Show Wind Projects Paid More Than $9 Million In Taxes to Huron County

2021-10-11

Huron County governments and schools received $9.1 million in taxes from wind projects in 2020, records provided by the county treasurer show. That money has helped pay for improved roads, services and school facilities. County Treasurer Debra McCollum provided the information after Checks & Balances Project filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the… Read more »

How Michigan Uses Wind Farm Revenue To Support Schools

2021-09-24

A feature investigation Each year, wind farms throughout Michigan pay tens of millions of dollars in taxes that support the local school systems in rural communities that often have declining populations and tax bases. Just how that money reaches school districts depends on the state’s complicated school finance system and whether communities have approved bond… Read more »

In Community Consideration of Wind Farms, Projects’ Financial Benefits Not Always Visible to Residents

2021-09-16

BAD AXE, Mich. – In multiple conversations with local residents of Huron County, Mich., a clear theme is that while the 472 wind turbines quietly circling above local farms are visible, the financial benefits they provide are not. One woman waiting in line at Emma’s Coffee House said she hears about how wind projects pay local… Read more »

Michigan

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta