Lessons Learned from MI’s...

Lessons Learned from

MI’s WindfarmsMMEA Fall Conference

October 5, 2017

Sarah Mills, PhD

Why this research?• Investigate Gratiot & Huron County claims of

farmland preservation

• Understand why such different experiences

2

2014 Farmland Survey

• All owners of land assessed ag

• 14 townships– 9 with windfarms– 5 without

• 1,210 responses (72% response rate)

• Funded by Dow Fellowship

2016 Community Survey

• Owners of land assessed ag or residential

• 10 townships with windfarms

• 2,013 responses (53% response rate)

• Funded by C.S. Mott Foundation

Data about the negative impacts

• Views on noise, visual impact, property values roughly 50/50Financial stake = rosier view

OR no financial stake = more soured view

BUT STILL SPLIT OPINIONS

5

Noise

40 47 38

1218

10

29 22 3119

1221

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines create noise pollutionStronglyagreeAgree

StronglydisagreeDisagree

6

Data about the negative impacts

• Views on noise, visual impact, property values roughly 50/50Financial stake = rosier view

OR no financial stake = more soured view

BUT STILL SPLIT OPINIONS

• Most don’t (72%) see health impacts, but some do

• Majority (70%) don’t think it’s divided the communityo Even in some pretty contentious projects

7

Data about the positive impacts

• Most (78%) see job creation with caveat about types of jobs

• Majority (60%+) haven’t seen changes to roads, townships services, county services, or local schoolso Despite pretty substantial paymentso Likely because of how money being used: plug holes, do more of

same

8

Tax Benefits

2 2 24 3 4

7762

82

1526

113 7 2

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines’ effect on county servicesGreatlyimprovedSomewhatimprovedNeither

SomewhatworsenedGreatlyworsened

9

$2.749 Million to county gov’t in

Huron County in 2015

Data about the positive impacts

• Most (78%) see job creation with caveat about types of jobs

• Majority (60%+) haven’t seen changes to roads, townships services, county services, or local schoolso Despite pretty substantial paymentso Likely because of how money being used: plug holes, do more of

same

• Landowner payments linked to substantial increase in on-farm investment (2x neighbors, control) and increase in succession planning

10

Farm Investment

0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000

Turbines

Neighbors in pool

Unpaid neighbors

Non‐windfarm

Investments over 5 years: 2009‐2013

Home Outbuildings Drainage/Irrigation Equipment

$ 193k

11

$ 187k

$ 180k

$ 449k

Farm Succession

80

62

64

57

Turbines

Neighbors in pool

Unpaid neighbors

Non‐windfarm

% that have farm succession plan

12

Overall drivers of attitudes

• Direct compensation

• Type of land owned o secondary vs. primary residence o farmland / rental property only

• Being within earshot of turbines

• Attitudes about process, wind developer

13

What Happened with Huron Wind?

• Previous experiences (some good, some bad) o Many different wind developers in Huron Countyo Tax table changes a huge concern

• Turbine fatigue: “we’ve done our part”

• County voting = lots of heterogeneityo Not all farmers/farming familieso Yeas: 26% - 54%o Turnout: 9% - 61%

• Those who cared, voted 14

What’s the Lesson?• Windfarms = economic development proposition

o Compatible with ago Not with residential growth, tourism

• Indirect economic benefits not felt by average landowner

• Business models that directly pay more landowners keep the peace

• Wind developers, local officials need to act transparently

15

The CLOSUP Wind ProjectSarah Mills, Project Manager

Phone: (734) 615‐5315Email: [email protected]

Web: www.closup.umich.edu/wind

May 2 Referendum vs. Survey

63 55

27 26

10 10

24 23

19 2137 45

20 21

Vote (total) Vote (5twps) Survey (5twps) Survey all

Willingness to host additional turbines in your township

Stronglysupport

Somewhatsupport

Neither

Somewhatoppose

Stronglyoppose

17

• 5 twps.o Binghamo Bloomfieldo McKinleyo Sheridano Sigel

May 2 Referendum vs. Survey

63 55 57 55

37 45 43 45

Vote (total) Vote (5twps) Survey (5twps) Survey all


Stronglysupport

Stronglyoppose

18

• 5 twps.o Binghamo Bloomfieldo McKinleyo Sheridano Sigel

Huron County Vote Break‐downs

63 60 68

37 40 32

Vote (total) WITH wind WITHOUT wind

Yes

No

19

28% turnout 36% turnout

Individual‐level Impacts

40 47 38

1218

10

29 22 31

1912

21

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines create noise pollution

StronglyagreeAgree


• Noise• Visual• Health• Property value• Farm income• Farm succession

20


39 46 37

1222

10

25 19 27

2414

27

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines create visual/aesthetic problems

StronglyagreeAgree



21


49 47 50

23 37 19

18 9 219

810

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines cause human health problems

StronglyagreeAgree



22


36 46 32

1019

7

30 21 33

2414

27

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines decrease nearby property values

StronglyagreeAgree



23


0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000

Turbines

Neighbors in pool

Unpaid neighbors

Non‐windfarm

Investments over 5 years: 2009‐2013

Home Outbuildings Drainage/Irrigation Equipment

$ 193k

24

$ 187k

$ 180k

$ 449k



80

62

64

57

Turbines

Neighbors in pool

Unpaid neighbors

Non‐windfarm

% that have farm succession plan

25


Community‐level Impacts

15 10 176 5 7

57 54 58

21 31 18

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines create jobs

StronglyagreeAgree


• Job creation• Roads• Township

services• County

services• Schools• Relationships

with neighbors

26


4 5 38 6 9

6040

67

20

32

177 17

4

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines’ effect on local roads

Greatlyimproved

Somewhatimproved

Neither

Somewhatworsened

Greatlyworsened


services• County


with neighbors

27


2 2 23 3 3

7357

79

1829

144 10 2

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines’ effect on township services

Greatlyimproved

Somewhatimproved

Neither

Somewhatworsened

Greatlyworsened


services• County


with neighbors

28

$2.630 Million to townships in



2 2 24 3 4

7762

82

1526

113 7 2

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines’ effect on county services

Greatlyimproved

Somewhatimproved

Neither

Somewhatworsened

Greatlyworsened


services• County


with neighbors

29

$2.749 Million to county gov’t in



1 1 22 1 2

6444

70

24

35

219 19

6

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines’ effect on local schools

Greatlyimproved

Somewhatimproved

Neither

Somewhatworsened

Greatlyworsened


services• County


with neighbors

30

$2.083 Million to ISD; $2.074 Million to local

schools in Huron County in 2015


11 7 12

19 1820

64 6563

5 9 41 1 1

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines’ effect on relationships with neighbors

Greatlyimproved

Somewhatimproved

Neither

Somewhatworsened

Greatlyworsened


services• County


with neighbors

31

Would they welcome more wind development?

10 8 11

1910

22

5554

55

1321

103 7 2

All Paid Unpaid

Turbines’ effect on overall quality of life in township

Greatlyimproved

Somewhatimproved

Neither

Somewhatworsened

Greatlyworsened

32

• Quality of life

• Willingness to accept new turbines

Would they welcome more wind development?

2615

30

108

1023

22

23

21

23

20

2132

18

All Paid Unpaid


Stronglysupport

Somewhatsupport

Neither

Somewhatoppose

Stronglyoppose

33

• Quality of life

• Willingness to accept new turbines

Example zoning ordinances

• MSU Extensiono Sample Zoning for Wind Energy Systems (2017)o Michigan Land Use Guidelines for Siting Wind Energy Systems (2007)

• Dept. of Energy databaseo Look for similar types of communitieso Includes places both with/without windo https://windexchange.energy.gov/policies-incentives

• Shiawassee County Planningo Comparison charts on height, noise, setbacko https://www.shiawassee.net/Departments/Community-Development/Wind-Energy-Conversion-Systems

• My website (www.closup.umich.edu/wind) o Just the communities which have existing windfarms in Michigan

34

The ideal zoning ordinance?

14 1131 377 8

10 827 22

222628 27

1817

24 3319 13

Unzonedtownship

1.5x height 1,000ʹ/1,320ʹ 1,320ʹ

Support/oppose additional turbines in township, by zoning setback distance

Stronglysupport

Somewhatsupport

Neither

Somewhatoppose

Stronglyoppose

35

What my research suggests on zoning

• Participating vs. non-participating landowners

• Noise, flicker analysis

• Decommission plan/financial assurance

• Have an open & transparent process

36

The importance of process

285 13

32

639

47

13

10

22

16

27

24

1420

16

27

20621

58

2610 7

All Stronglyagree

Agree Disagree Stronglydisagree

“I had ample opportunity to provide input during the wind project planning stage.”

Support/oppose additional turbines in township, by agree/disagree opportunity to participate in planning

Stronglysupport

Somewhatsupport

Neither

Somewhatoppose

Stronglyoppose

37

The importance of transparency

285 11

43729

56

14

11

22

1427

24

9

20

16

30

13 321

61

267 5

All Stronglyagree

Agree Disagree Stronglydisagree

“The wind project developer acted openly and transparently throughout the planning process.”

Support/oppose additional turbines in township, by agree/disagree wind developer acted transparently

Stronglysupport

Somewhatsupport

Neither

Somewhatoppose

Stronglyoppose

38

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