Vevay, Indiana

The Michigan Public Service Commission approved a settlement agreement clearing the way for Acceleration Solar, a 600-plus-acre, 90-megawatt solar project spanning Leslie, Onondaga and Vevay townships in Ingham County. It is the first project to be approved under Public Act 233 of 2023, a Democrat-backed law allowing renewable energy developers to bypass local opposition by seeking state-level approval for large solar, wind and battery storage projects.

Under the settlement with developer Ranger Power, the townships will receive at least $180,000 in direct payments, plus noise monitoring, tree screening, decommissioning guarantees, county drain improvements and fire department training. Local officials gave mixed reviews, acknowledging the deal improved on state minimums even as some residents preferred farmland to solar. The law faces a legal challenge from 79 townships and counties, now before the Michigan Supreme Court after an appellate court largely upheld it. Regulators are reviewing 12 similar applications statewide, making this settlement an early test of whether the contested permitting process can produce negotiated outcomes rather than contested rulings.