The wind and solar farm law won’t affect Michigan’s November vote

“The Citizens for Local Choice campaign engaged thousands of volunteers across the state and issued tens of thousands of signature petitions to restore local control over large-scale wind and solar operations,” the statement read.

The proposed ballot initiative comes shortly after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a package of bills last fall that aims to transition Michigan to 100% clean energy by 2040.

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As part of the package, lawmakers changed how large-scale wind, solar and battery systems are approved in Michigan. The law puts licensing power in the hands of the state, after delegating it to local governments.

The changes fell along party lines, with uniform opposition from Republicans. Democrats have backed statewide permitting standards out of concern that local opposition to wind and solar power too often scuttles projects, putting Michigan’s climate goals in jeopardy.

While environmental and labor groups and some farmers applauded the move to state-level permitting, opponents, including local government advocates and the Michigan Farm Bureau, argued it stripped communities of the right to make their own land-use decisions.

Shortly thereafter, Citizens for Local Choice emerged as an offshoot of Our Home, Our Voice, a group advocating for local control over issues ranging from short-term vacation rentals to renewable energy and gravel mining.

But getting on this year’s ballot was always going to be risky.

Technically, supporters of such initiatives have 180 days to collect the required signatures. However, the deadline to return ballots for the fall general election is May 29, and the group did not begin circulating the petition until late January, leaving it with significantly fewer days to collect signatures.

Supporters of the initiative say they plan to continue collecting signatures, hoping to collect enough signatures in the next 50 days to put the bill on the ballot in November 2026.

They did not respond to Bridge Michigan’s question about how far they had to travel.

The “Citizens for Local Choice” campaign continues to collect signatures and faces complaints about campaign financing from pro-energy groups.

On Tuesday, renewable energy advocates welcomed the news that the initiative would not make it to the ballot this year.