Michigan cuts forest for Chinese solar panels, lawmakers protest
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Republican lawmakers in Michigan are expressing strong opposition to a controversial plan by the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to convert over 400 acres of forestland into a solar panel installation.
The proposed project, set to take place in Hayes Township near Gaylord at the 45th Parallel, has drawn particular criticism from State Representative Ken Borton of Gaylord. The plan involves clearing existing forest to make way for solar panels, which would be manufactured in China.
Green energy scammer logic is that we must destroy the Earth to save it.
“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… pic.twitter.com/gekmOR3lfR
— Chris Martz (@ChrisMartzWX) January 4, 2025
“I’m hearing from many of my Democrat friends, people who believe in climate change, that they realize that for them to cut all these trees down is absolutely going the wrong way,” Borton said, according to WSJM.
The initiative is designed to be part of a larger solar development project, working in conjunction with two other solar installations planned for nearby private properties. The DNR selected this location due to its proximity to existing high-voltage power transmission infrastructure in the area.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has decided to remove natural resources to place unnatural resources.
This being done for the sole purpose of being able to say we are moving closer towards our climate goals.
This is the pinnacle of faulty governance. pic.twitter.com/rrW1yyjpRn
— 𝙰𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚗 (@opMockingbird23) January 4, 2025
The announcement has prompted numerous inquiries from state legislators, with DNR officials confirming they are actively responding to questions about the use of state-managed public lands for solar panel installation. The controversy intensified following an MLive report, leading several Republican state representatives to demand the termination of DNR staff members responsible for the decision.
Critics argue that the environmental impact of removing carbon-dioxide-absorbing forests for intermittent solar power generation contradicts the project’s purported environmental benefits. The situation has created a significant debate about the balance between renewable energy development and forest conservation on public lands.
The DNR is currently moving forward with its plans to request bids for the solar project on these public trust lands, despite the mounting opposition from state lawmakers and environmental concerns.
