It is good and important when political leaders oppose PA 233 and oppose utility-level solar on our farmlands. PA 233 is horrible state law, removing local control over zoning and development. Utility-level solar on our West Michigan farmlands, like the proposed RWE one in Zeeland Township, is horrible, because it wastes many of our valuable farmland acres on something that does not even provide reliable baseload electric.
But it is insufficient to simply oppose these because it leaves open the question of where we are going to get reliable electric at a time of significantly rising demand for electric, and it leaves open the question of how to respond to the rising number of data centers. The Consumers Energy monopoly executives support a Net Zero program of demolishing the Campbell at the same time as adding data centers to our grid which require huge amounts of electric 24/7. It is a recipe for disaster to local residents. It will mean rising electric costs and worsening environment. These data centers will almost inevitably rely on heavily polluting backup diesel generators when the grid cannot provide. We also lose the energy security we have with the combination of coal and gas. And it leaves open real questions about the massive amounts of water required by the data center cooling systems. Finally, it leaves Ottawa County at the mercy of Lansing politics, since PA 233 can only be amended in Lansing.
This is why it is important to ask political leaders and candidates whether they support giving local voters the opportunity to decide whether to have local control of our electric grid via a locally elected electric cooperative board, and whether they support saving the Campbell. Data centers should only be added if they are approved locally because they serve local interests. They need to be co-located next to generating plants like the Campbell so they have sufficient energy without having any backup generators. We need local control of our electric grid instead of giving it to Consumers Energy executives under the control of the MPSC.