Michigan won’t lease state land near Gaylord for solar project

• DNR officials announced Friday they won’t move forward with a proposal to lease 420 public acres for solar development
• The proposal, which emerged in January, had prompted a fierce public debate about renewable energy on public land
• Amid the fury, the solar developer rescinded its request to lease the land

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will not move forward with a proposal to lease 420 acres of state land near Gaylord to a solar energy developer, the agency announced Friday.

The decision follows months of intense debate about the proposal, in which opponents expressed environmental concerns, fear of losing public access or ideological opposition to renewable energy while proponents argued solar power is being unfairly singled out on public lands that are already heavily used by various other industries.

The furor prompted DNR officials to pause any additional consideration of solar leases and extend a public comment period on the Gaylord-area proposal proposal by several months. 

By the time formal vetting began, the private solar developer that had initially requested access to the land, RWE Renewables, had already withdrawn its interest.

In a letter sent Friday to a number of legislators and interest groups, DNR Director Scott Bowen cited the company’s retreat and public concerns as reasons for the decision to not move forward.