COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Thursday morning’s Branch County Board of Commissioners work session was packed with people supporting the grassroots effort to stop a proposed wind turbine project from going up in Union, Sherwood, Matteson, and Batavia Townships.
Commissioners first heard a presentation from DTE Energy Regional Manager Michael Sage about the entire process the utility has to go through to get a wind farm built. Sage then took questions from the commissioners. He told Second District Commissioner Leonard Kolcz that although Branch County isn’t the windiest part of the state, they should get enough power to make the project feasible.
After Sage’s half-hour presentation, a fifteen-minute rebuttal statement was delivered by Pam Reed, spokesperson for the Concerned Citizens of Branch County group fighting the wind turbine project. She said her group wasn’t smile and thank officials for selling them on a product that would lower property values and change the nature of their rural community.
DTE officials are currently acquiring easements and conducting various feasibility studies in the proposed project area. Any decisions on zoning ordinances to govern the impact of wind turbines would lie with the various township boards.
