Michigan To Bulldoze 400+ Acres Of Trees To Build Solar Farm

Michigan state officials plan to clear 420 acres from a state forest to build a new solar farm in the name of environmentalism.

A “top state official” confirmed to MLive that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) planned to bulldoze a large swath of forestland to build a solar farm as part of a lease agreement.

The outlet noted that the DNR “recently assessed 1,200 acres of public trust land in Otsego County near a major power transmission line to decide whether it was suitable for solar arrays” and decided to lease 35% of the land to go with other solar projects that are already being developed.

The sudden desire to destroy trees for solar panels comes as the state risks failing to meet its own climate goal of 100% “clean” energy by 2040. If it doesn’t increase its development of so-called renewable energy, it won’t meet its arbitrary timeframe.

The 420 acres about to be bulldozed are part of 4,000 acres of public land that will be flattened to try and meet the 2040 deadline.

If Michigan instead committed to nuclear power, it could meet its goal much quicker and by using much less land. Chris Martz, a meteorology student who regularly tackles climate change and energy myths, published a chart showing nuclear power produces far more power on less land than solar and wind. For example, 640 acres (about one square mile) for a nuclear power plant would produce 1,000 megawatts of power and can power just over 775,000 homes. Getting the same power from solar panels would require 5,000-7,000 acres of land and only power 193,523 homes. Onshore wind power is even less efficient.

Dr. Judith Curry, one of the most prominent atmospheric scientists who debunks climate myths, responded to Martz’s chart by saying, “Land use requirements (among other thing [sic]) will seriously constrain the penetration of wind and solar into the grid, and this analysis doesn’t include the additional land requirements for transmission lines.”

Solar panels are also damaged by harsh weather, such as hail, which could be a problem in the Midwest.

Michigan’s decision to destroy land for more solar panels also comes at a time when climate alarmism is seeing a decline after decades of dire predictions have failed to come true.

Major Wall Street firms are leaving the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, a group dedicated to “aligning their lending, investment, and capital markets activities with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” according to the U.N.-aligned group’s website. It’s essentially environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing, which has come under intense scrutiny in recent years, with asset managers seemingly more concerned.

Related News