The mission of the Sierra Club is to explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth. Increasingly, we find that to protect these wild places and the planet more
generally, we must address climate change. This means supporting clean energy. On
behalf of our 500 members and supporters in St. Clair County, we are writing to express
our objection to St. Clair County’s decision to restrict the development of solar energy.
We emphasize the fact that the County has based this decision on flawed and
misleading public health theories.
Solar energy is a critical part of Michigan’s energy future. As a state, we have
committed to 100% clean energy by 2040. Solar energy is the most economical and
timely solution to this challenge. The levelized cost of solar energy is half that of coal
and 10% less than methane gas. 1 Moreover, solar arrays can be installed in 12 to 18
months after permitting. Gas plants take 5 to 7 years to construct, and nuclear plants
can take more than a decade to bring online. 2
The St. Clair County Commission has made four significant errors in its determination
that solar arrays may present public health hazard to the residents of St. Clair County.
First, and most importantly, the Commission’s policy is contrary to the will of the people
who elected them. Seventy-three percent (73%) of Michigan voters, including 2 out of
every 3 Republican voters, think it is important for government to make it easier for
clean energy projects to get approved. 3 The Commission’s action has resulted in a
lawsuit that will be expensive and time-consuming for the County, using resources that
would be better directed at other pressing needs.
Second, the Commission has relied on bad science from its Public Health Department.
The report from the Public Health Department supposing a public health hazard
includes a multitude of literature citations, but they are almost exclusively from 2
sources and neither provides replicated peer-reviewed data. 4 More importantly, the
Public Health Department’s noise standard of 45 decibels is not based on any scientific
standard. The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s standard is 55
decibels. For context, a standard household refrigerator typically emits around 55
decibels, while normal conversations range between 60-70 decibels. The St. Clair
Airport experiences noise levels in excess of 90 decibels. 5
Third, the Commission’s policy is discriminatory in that it establishes requirements for
solar and battery storage that it does not enforce against other forms of energy
production. For example, the section of the policy related to decommissioning expense
should be applied to other decommissioned industrial and energy facilities in the County
such as the now shuttered DTE coal plant. The policy’s requirements for setbacks and
visual screens are not equally applied to MDOT’s Interstate Highway system or the CSX
railyard.
Finally, the Commission’s argument about local control is nonsensical. By enacting a
County-wide rule, the Commission preempts the local authority of townships, cities, and
villages under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act to establish their own standards.
Solar energy can provide good paying jobs for the residents of St. Clair County. We
implore the St. Clair County Commission to recognize this opportunity for economic
development and respond to the wishes of their constituents by reversing its policy
regarding the development of solar energy.
Of course, we would welcome the opportunity to attend one of your meetings to discuss
this important issue.
Sincerely,
The Executive Committee of the Southeast Michigan Group of the Sierra Club
1. https://www.lazard.com/media/eijnqja3/lazards-lcoeplus-june-2025.pdf
2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2025.104057 and
https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2025-06-10/nextera-ceo-says-
renewables-needed-as-bridge-to-expanding-gas-power
3. Data for Progress, 1/30/2025
4. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386106287_Visual_Pollution_Causes_Heal
th_Impacts_And_Mitigation_Strategies_for_Enhancing_Environmental_Aesthetics_a
nd_Public_Well-Being_-A_Review
5. https://maps.dot.gov/BTS/NationalTransportationNoiseMap/