At the start of 2013, significant new restrictions were placed on local governmental authority to re
DOWNLOADMay 31, 2016 - Michael Klepinger
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EmailGuidelines for siting wind energy systems were released in December 2005 by the Michigan Energy Office in the Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG). The DLEG guidelines are titled “Michigan Siting Guidelines for Wind Energy Systems,” and recently reformatted as sample zoning text (see left). The MSUE bulletin describes the most important provisions of the new guidelines and how they suggest handling the most common concerns of neighbors. It looks at the science behind the guidelines and provides a glossary and references for further reading. It concludes with a short list of Michigan communities that have adopted local planning and zoning laws about wind system siting. The new guidelines and this publication are meant to help local officials strike a balance between the need for clean, renewable energy resources and a local government’s responsibility to protect the public health, safety and welfare.
