With the enactment of Public Act 233 of 2023—the new law that shifted siting authority over large-scale renewable energy facilities to the state, MTA has been working with our legal counsel to prepare a sample compatible renewable energy ordinance (CREO) and model application for our members. MTA and MTA’s legal counsel have also been active participants with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) presenting issues to be considered from a local government perspective, from siting to decommissioning projects at the local level. MPSC—the state regulatory agency implementing the law—released initial draft guidance on April 4 on some PA 233 provisions. MTA and our legal counsel are reviewing the initial draft guidance to determine necessary changes to the model CREO and application and to submit comments to MPSC. We will share the model CREO and model application with members within the upcoming several weeks; watch for an eblast on availability, as well as Township Insights and our website.
Townships can also review the MPSC’s initial guidance and submit comments at Request for Informal Comments on Initial Straw Proposals. The deadline to submit comments is April 24. Information on the implementation process and recordings of the three sessions MPSC hosted on March 7, March 19 and April 5 are available on the MPSC’s PA 233 implementation webpage. The next stakeholder meeting is set for April 26.