By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Two new public meetings on the proposed Silver Maple solar project in Zeeland and Jamestown townships have been rescheduled.
Silver Maple PV, LLC, an entity of German-based energy giant RWE, issued an updated public notice Aug. 11 setting new dates for the meetings. In one of the instances, the meeting location was also changed.
The meetings will take place Thursday, Sept. 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Dozeman Center inside the Drenthe Grove Park, 615 68th Ave., and Friday, Sept. 11 at Jamestown Township’s Patmos Library, 2445 Riley St., according to the public notice.
The meetings had been originally scheduled for Sept. 2 at the Dozeman Center and Sept. 3 at Evergreen Ministries in Jamestown. No explanation was given for the change.
Silver Maple PV/RWE submitted an application seeking approval of the Silver Maple project with the Michigan Public Service Commission in early April. The company is applying for approval under Public Act 233, the law that allows developers to seek approval of utility-scale clean energy projects directly with the state, bypassing local municipalities. That law is being challenged on constitutional grounds by Zeeland Township.
The application for Silver Maple was suspended in early July at the request of RWE, so that its attorneys could evaluate the impact of a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling from May that allowed 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 earlier this month, 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. Lamontagne wrote that “RWE remains committed to the project,” and expects to move forward with its application soon.
The Dozeman Center was initially considered as a public meeting site when RWE hosted three public meetings on the Silver Maple project in March. However, that idea was pulled because of the lack of a panic bar on the building’s double doors, limiting the number of people who could safely attend under fire code.
The township has since installed new doors with a panic bar, boosting the maximum capacity of the Dozeman Center to 299 people, Township Manager Josh Eggleston said.
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. RWE has since filed a notice to move the lawsuit to U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids on diversity jurisdiction grounds – the township is a Michigan municipality while the project developers are incorporated in Delaware and RWE’s global headquarters are in Germany.
Zeeland Record
Two new public meetings on the proposed Silver Maple solar project in Zeeland and Jamestown townships have been rescheduled.
Silver Maple PV, LLC, an entity of German-based energy giant RWE, issued an updated public notice Aug. 11 setting new dates for the meetings. In one of the instances, the meeting location was also changed.
The meetings will take place Thursday, Sept. 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Dozeman Center inside the Drenthe Grove Park, 615 68th Ave., and Friday, Sept. 11 at Jamestown Township’s Patmos Library, 2445 Riley St., according to the public notice.
The meetings had been originally scheduled for Sept. 2 at the Dozeman Center and Sept. 3 at Evergreen Ministries in Jamestown. No explanation was given for the change.
Silver Maple PV/RWE submitted an application seeking approval of the Silver Maple project with the Michigan Public Service Commission in early April. The company is applying for approval under Public Act 233, the law that allows developers to seek approval of utility-scale clean energy projects directly with the state, bypassing local municipalities. That law is being challenged on constitutional grounds by Zeeland Township.
The application for Silver Maple was suspended in early July at the request of RWE, so that its attorneys could evaluate the impact of a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling from May that allowed 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 earlier this month, 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. Lamontagne wrote that “RWE remains committed to the project,” and expects to move forward with its application soon.
The Dozeman Center was initially considered as a public meeting site when RWE hosted three public meetings on the Silver Maple project in March. However, that idea was pulled because of the lack of a panic bar on the building’s double doors, limiting the number of people who could safely attend under fire code.
The township has since installed new doors with a panic bar, boosting the maximum capacity of the Dozeman Center to 299 people, Township Manager Josh Eggleston said.
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. RWE has since filed a notice to move the lawsuit to U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids on diversity jurisdiction grounds – the township is a Michigan municipality while the project developers are incorporated in Delaware and RWE’s global headquarters are in Germany.
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