A Workshop on Solar and Alternative Energy will be held by the Barry County Board of Commissioners Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 6:00 p.m in the Performing Arts Center at Hastings High School.
Jim McManus, Barry County Planning & Zoning Director, will present a Planning and Zoning report, followed by a legal report from Bradley Fowler and Mika Meyers.
M. Charles Gould will present a Michigan State University Extension report, and Kevon Martis will report on behalf of Citizens for Local Choice.
Commissioners and the public will have an opportunity to ask specific questions regarding solar and alternative energy during a questions and answers period, and there will be a limited public comment opportunity.
The workshop is expected to draw a crowd, especially landowners and farmers, due to the controversial move in late 2023 by the governor and Democratically controlled state legislature that strips away standard zoning approval and siting decisions from local governments over large wind and solar projects. It's seen as part of a larger effort to push the state’s energy systems toward carbon-free power sources in the coming decades.
