LANSING, Mich. - The Ballot Campaign Committee, “Citizens for Local Choice,” today submitted an initiative petition to the Bureau of Elections to amend the Clean and Renewable Energy and Energy Waste Reduction Act to, among other things, repeal Part 8 as added by Public Act 233 of 2023. The Committee has requested approval of the Summary of Purpose and pre-approval as to form.
The Summary of Purpose provided to the Bureau for consideration provides:
“A proposed initiated law to allow local units of government to retain authority to regulate the development of solar, wind, or energy storage facilities in their jurisdictions by repealing laws that mandate statewide standards for energy facilities and permit the Michigan Public Service Commission to override local energy facility development decisions. If enacted, this proposal will allow local units of government to continue to determine their own standards regarding setback distance, structure height, and the amount of light and sound emitted by energy facilities, and to exercise final authority over the construction of energy facilities within their jurisdictions.”
The summary will be prepared by the Director of Elections for consideration by the Board of Canvassers. The Board of Canvassers is expected to approve the petition within 30 days, following which the Committee will be granted a 180-day window to gather and file the necessary 356,958 valid signatures from registered voters. To ensure placement on the November 2024 ballot, valid signatures must be submitted by May 29th; otherwise, the initiative will proceed to the November 2026 ballot. For those wishing to participate in the effort, additional details can be found at www.micitizenschoice.org.
CONTACT: Jenell Leonard, 517-268-0889, citizensforlocalchoice@gmail.com.
Paid for with regulated funds by Citizens for Local Choice, P.O. Box 14309 Lansing, MI 48901
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