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Opposition groups to a proposed wind farm in L’Anse Township are holding numerous public meetings to voice their stance.
Members of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community were on the campus of Northern Michigan University Monday afternoon.
The presentation allowed members from the KBIC to talk to students and the public about why they oppose the wind farm and feel it will have a negative impact on the area.
The Summit Lake Wind Project was announced early last year, which would allow for 49 wind turbines to be spread out over thousands of acres, but the KBIC has officially opposed the project due to the negative impact they believe it’ll have on their treaty rights.
“The Indian treaty rights are really important to us because that’s our way of life,” said KBIC President Warren C. Swartz Jr. “And our way of life is really important to, not only me, but the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. And our way of life means the ability to go out and hunt, fish, trap, and gather, all of the things we’ve been afforded to all of the years, you know. And my people, and I especially, want to protect that.”
The project has drawn quite a bit of attention since the announcement, and the public seems to be divided on whether or not the project should go forward.
Swartz, says that the project just isn’t feasible for the area, but does approve of cleaner sources of energy. “I would approve of solar any day over wind turbines,” he said. “We did those feasibility studies and determined that wind just isn’t feasible.”
The Friends of the Huron Mountains and the KBIC Natural Resources Department will co-host a meeting about the proposal at the Zeba Community Hall Wednesday at 6pm.
Supporters of the Summit Lake Wind Project will also be holding a public meeting in the L’Anse Area Schools cafetorium on Tuesday, April 23rd at 6:30pm. The purpose of the meeting is to provide professional information in regards to the construction, maintenance, the effects on the environment, and the benefits of all entities involved.
Voters in L’Anse Township will decide the fate of a referendum to change the wording of an ordinance that will allow the project to move forward during the May 7th election.
To view the original story on ABC-10, click here:https://abc10up.com/2019/04/15/kbic-discusses-opposition-to-potential-wind-farm/
