Michigan

Misleading Ordinance Language Dates Back to 2014, Documents Show
2022-01-20
Readers might remember that we’ve been probing what happens when a rural community decides to host or reject proposed wind farms. In the course of that work, we’ve uncovered tactics and arguments that have been pushed from one community to another, leaving behind a legacy of strained neighbor relations and hard feelings, regardless of the… Read more »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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