By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The developer of the proposed Silver Maple solar project in Zeeland and Jamestown townships has scheduled two public meetings for next month as it ponders its next move.
Silver Maple PV, LLC, an entity of RWE, issued a public notice to Zeeland Township Monday afternoon, announcing that the meetings will take place Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Dozeman Center inside the Drenthe Grove Park, 615 68th Ave., and Thursday, Sept. 3 at 5:30 p.m. at Evergreen Ministries, 4512 48th Ave.
Silver Maple/RWE filed an application with the Michigan Public Service Commission in early April seeking approval of the Silver Maple project. The company secured leases on 52 parcels totaling 1,914 acres of farmland, about 60 percent of it in Zeeland Township. In its application, the company says the project would disturb 1,431 acres of land and be built on 1,127 acres of fenced-in property.
However, the application was suspended in early July at the request of RWE, so that its legal team could evaluate the impact of a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling from May that opened the door for Ottawa County to enter the MPSC process as an intervenor, joining the two townships in opposition to the project. That ruling is being appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court.
In a statement emailed to the Zeeland Record late Monday afternoon, RWE spokesman John Lamontagne wrote that the new public meetings were scheduled as part of “additional outreach with local stakeholders” while the Silver Maple permit application is on pause.
“RWE remains committed to the project, and we expect to move forward with our application in the near future,” Lamontagne wrote.
“Silver Maple represents a significant investment in Michigan — creating construction jobs, generating local tax revenue, providing income for participating landowners, and helping meet the state's growing demand for reliable, domestically produced energy. RWE is committed to responsibly developing the project and engaging with the local community.”
Zeeland Township received calls last week from RWE inquiring about renting a space for the new meetings, and the company signed a rental agreement for the Dozeman Center space last Friday. They then had the public notice for the upcoming meetings delivered by courier on Monday, Township Manager Josh Eggleston said.
RWE is paying the township $250 for renting the Dozeman Center plus a $150 security deposit, which is the standard non-residential free for renting that facility, Eggleston said.
Township Supervisor Kerri Bosma said that she learned of the new meetings Monday afternoon, but received no other information from RWE as to why they are being scheduled.
“We only got notice that they wanted to rent a space. We have no background information,” Bosma said.
Bosma told the Zeeland Record that she has received no communication from RWE since the spring, when the company sent information about a host community agreement to the township, which was then forwarded to township special legal counsel David Eberle.
RWE held three public meetings on the Silver Maple project in March, two at the Township Hall and one at Evergreen Ministries, before submitting its application to the MPSC. The meetings drew large crowds, with most speakers opposing the project because of concerns ranging from impact on local agriculture and rural character to groundwater issues.
In a statement posted on the township’s Facebook page Monday, the township said that while the Sept. 2 meeting is at a township-owned facility, it is not hosting or facilitating the meeting. It also had no additional information on the meeting beyond what was stated in the public notice.
The township on July 7 filed suit in Ottawa County Circuit Court against Silver Maple PV, LLC, RWE Americas Services, LLC and RWE Solar Development, LLC, challenging the constitutionality of Public Act 233. That’s the Michigan law that allows companies to bypass local municipalities and apply directly to the MPSC for approval of utility-scale solar, wind and battery energy storage projects. No hearings on that lawsuit have been scheduled yet.
The Township Board on July 21 voted unanimously to send a letter to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, encouraging the county to enter the Silver Maple case as an intervenor.
Project opponents spoke out at a July 28 county board meeting, calling on commissioners to act on the Township Board’s letter as a show of support for local control and decision-making.
Speaking during commissioner comments near the end of that meeting, County Board Chairman Josh Brugger of Grand Haven said that there are two key variables in play with Silver Maple. First, the Supreme Court could overturn the Court of Appeals ruling. The second is the current pause on the project application.
Brugger said that he had spoken to officials from the Ottawa County chapter of Farm Bureau, which sent a letter to the board last month with suggestions on how the county could respond to the Silver Maple project, as well as to Bosma.
“In the event RWE reactivates their request, and this seems likely is what I’ve heard, I will be requesting that staff gather input from commissioners, and then work with the leadership from the Planning and Policy Committee, the chair and vice chair, to review what being an
intervenor requires of us and to formulate a draft response,” Brugger said. “This response will then be brought to the full Planning and Policy Committee, where initial public input can take place … correspondence can be further reviewed and members of Planning and Policy can then make adjustments to the response where needed.”
If the Planning and Policy Committee makes a recommendation to the full county board, it would be on the next board meeting agenda following the Planning and Policy Committee, Brugger said.
The Planning and Policy Committee is scheduled to meet next Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in the board room of the county Administration Building, 12220 Fillmore St., West Olive.
“While the circumstances are unique, our processes at the county are already in place, and we are ready to address the issue in the event that the application is reactivated,” Brugger said.
Other commissioners say they’re prepared to support any action by the county to intervene.
“I feel this board is with you. We want to do it the right way,” said Commissioner Jim Barry of Park Township, who chairs the Planning and Policy Committee.
Zeeland Record
The developer of the proposed Silver Maple solar project in Zeeland and Jamestown townships has scheduled two public meetings for next month as it ponders its next move.
Silver Maple PV, LLC, an entity of RWE, issued a public notice to Zeeland Township Monday afternoon, announcing that the meetings will take place Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Dozeman Center inside the Drenthe Grove Park, 615 68th Ave., and Thursday, Sept. 3 at 5:30 p.m. at Evergreen Ministries, 4512 48th Ave.
Silver Maple/RWE filed an application with the Michigan Public Service Commission in early April seeking approval of the Silver Maple project. The company secured leases on 52 parcels totaling 1,914 acres of farmland, about 60 percent of it in Zeeland Township. In its application, the company says the project would disturb 1,431 acres of land and be built on 1,127 acres of fenced-in property.
However, the application was suspended in early July at the request of RWE, so that its legal team could evaluate the impact of a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling from May that opened the door for Ottawa County to enter the MPSC process as an intervenor, joining the two townships in opposition to the project. That ruling is being appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court.
In a statement emailed to the Zeeland Record late Monday afternoon, RWE spokesman John Lamontagne wrote that the new public meetings were scheduled as part of “additional outreach with local stakeholders” while the Silver Maple permit application is on pause.
“RWE remains committed to the project, and we expect to move forward with our application in the near future,” Lamontagne wrote.
“Silver Maple represents a significant investment in Michigan — creating construction jobs, generating local tax revenue, providing income for participating landowners, and helping meet the state's growing demand for reliable, domestically produced energy. RWE is committed to responsibly developing the project and engaging with the local community.”
Zeeland Township received calls last week from RWE inquiring about renting a space for the new meetings, and the company signed a rental agreement for the Dozeman Center space last Friday. They then had the public notice for the upcoming meetings delivered by courier on Monday, Township Manager Josh Eggleston said.
RWE is paying the township $250 for renting the Dozeman Center plus a $150 security deposit, which is the standard non-residential free for renting that facility, Eggleston said.
Township Supervisor Kerri Bosma said that she learned of the new meetings Monday afternoon, but received no other information from RWE as to why they are being scheduled.
“We only got notice that they wanted to rent a space. We have no background information,” Bosma said.
Bosma told the Zeeland Record that she has received no communication from RWE since the spring, when the company sent information about a host community agreement to the township, which was then forwarded to township special legal counsel David Eberle.
RWE held three public meetings on the Silver Maple project in March, two at the Township Hall and one at Evergreen Ministries, before submitting its application to the MPSC. The meetings drew large crowds, with most speakers opposing the project because of concerns ranging from impact on local agriculture and rural character to groundwater issues.
In a statement posted on the township’s Facebook page Monday, the township said that while the Sept. 2 meeting is at a township-owned facility, it is not hosting or facilitating the meeting. It also had no additional information on the meeting beyond what was stated in the public notice.
The township on July 7 filed suit in Ottawa County Circuit Court against Silver Maple PV, LLC, RWE Americas Services, LLC and RWE Solar Development, LLC, challenging the constitutionality of Public Act 233. That’s the Michigan law that allows companies to bypass local municipalities and apply directly to the MPSC for approval of utility-scale solar, wind and battery energy storage projects. No hearings on that lawsuit have been scheduled yet.
The Township Board on July 21 voted unanimously to send a letter to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, encouraging the county to enter the Silver Maple case as an intervenor.
Project opponents spoke out at a July 28 county board meeting, calling on commissioners to act on the Township Board’s letter as a show of support for local control and decision-making.
Speaking during commissioner comments near the end of that meeting, County Board Chairman Josh Brugger of Grand Haven said that there are two key variables in play with Silver Maple. First, the Supreme Court could overturn the Court of Appeals ruling. The second is the current pause on the project application.
Brugger said that he had spoken to officials from the Ottawa County chapter of Farm Bureau, which sent a letter to the board last month with suggestions on how the county could respond to the Silver Maple project, as well as to Bosma.
“In the event RWE reactivates their request, and this seems likely is what I’ve heard, I will be requesting that staff gather input from commissioners, and then work with the leadership from the Planning and Policy Committee, the chair and vice chair, to review what being an
intervenor requires of us and to formulate a draft response,” Brugger said. “This response will then be brought to the full Planning and Policy Committee, where initial public input can take place … correspondence can be further reviewed and members of Planning and Policy can then make adjustments to the response where needed.”
If the Planning and Policy Committee makes a recommendation to the full county board, it would be on the next board meeting agenda following the Planning and Policy Committee, Brugger said.
The Planning and Policy Committee is scheduled to meet next Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in the board room of the county Administration Building, 12220 Fillmore St., West Olive.
“While the circumstances are unique, our processes at the county are already in place, and we are ready to address the issue in the event that the application is reactivated,” Brugger said.
Other commissioners say they’re prepared to support any action by the county to intervene.
“I feel this board is with you. We want to do it the right way,” said Commissioner Jim Barry of Park Township, who chairs the Planning and Policy Committee.
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