LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Hauck, R-Mt. Pleasant, issued the following statement on Wednesday after the Democratic-led Senate voted to shift local decision making regarding solar and wind farms to the state:
“As if the previous energy bills didn’t go far enough, the Senate gave the OK to this partisan push to strip local control and give all the decision-making power about wind and solar farms to Lansing bureaucrats. These people aren’t elected, and they most certainly don’t represent the communities that will be most affected by these over-the-top mandates.
“A majority of the lawmakers who rammed this through the Legislature will never see solar farms or wind turbines in their community. That’s just a fact. It will be communities in my district and other rural areas that will bear the brunt of these mandates. These bills are the embodiment of ‘not in my backyard, not my problem.’
“The message has been clear: People cannot afford and do not support these aggressive partisan mandates. These bills were passed to placate a small, but loud minority and leave the rest of the state to bear the costs. They send the message to communities all over the state that the government knows best and to stay out of the way.
“I voted no on these bills and others in the energy reform package because these extreme overhauls are not what people need; they’re what Democrat lawmakers and activists want.”
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