As some states in the nation race to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050—no doubt in line with the deep state agenda to confiscate individual freedoms under the guise of climate change—Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law insists that solar panels reduce carbon emissions more per acre than trees. The university continues to strongly recommend that everyone six months and older get a 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, so their stance on trees versus solar farms is not that shocking. Opinions like Columbia’s surely illustrate why, for example, Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) plans to clear 420 acres of forested land to expand a privately owned solar farm.

Other states have cleared forests for utility-scale solar energy production, too, despite opponents declaring these types of projects are ecologically inappropriate for developing atop natural forests. Over 5,000 acres of forest have been cleared in Massachusetts for solar farms. In Virginia, a 2021 study found that most solar panels in that state end up in forests and on farmland. Across the country, more than 7,750 major solar projects are currently in operation, with over 5 million solar installations, including utility-scale power plants, solar farms, and residential solar panels. More specifically, over 5,000 solar farms in the United States produce roughly 3.4 percent of the nation’s electricity.

According to those forcing net zero, achieving clean electric power within the next three decades is critical for decarbonizing our economy. But, clearly, it poses a significant challenge. Reaching this goal will demand accelerating the deployment of clean energy, expanding the role of various types of solar power, and making unparalleled investments in upgrading the electricity grid and transmission infrastructure. But do we need to unnecessarily damage nature and undercut environmental progress by destroying forests to build solar farms? That idea seems counterintuitive and makes little sense.

A recent Harvard-led analysis focused on solar projects in Massachusetts highlights that the state should prioritize clean energy expansion while safeguarding its carbon-absorbing forests. As one of the states in step with the net zero agenda, Massachusetts aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This goal requires a fivefold increase in solar energy. However, this growth has come at a cost: since 2010, over 8,000 acres, including 60 percent forested land, have been converted for solar projects, undermining environmental goals by reducing natural carbon sinks.

Written by Harvard Forest’s Jonathan Thompson and Mass Audubon’s Michelle Manion, the report Growing Solar, Protecting Nature outlines sustainable solar strategies to meet energy targets without harming forests and farmlands. Their findings emphasize that Massachusetts can achieve its clean energy goals with minimal impact on natural and working lands through wiser land-use policies. Key recommendations include shifting solar projects to rooftops, parking lots, and developed areas instead of forested lands. The report advocates eliminating incentives for solar development on critical natural landscapes while increasing support for projects on existing infrastructure. It also suggests investing in cost-reduction for rooftop and canopy solar, prioritizing low-impact solar siting, and integrating clean energy planning into statewide land development efforts. These ideas make sense.

State leaders welcomed the report’s findings. Massachusetts climate chief Melissa Hoffer praised the holistic approach to balancing clean energy expansion with nature conservation. Hoffer emphasized the urgency of handling climate change and biodiversity crises with innovative strategies that protect forests while promoting renewable energy. Mass Audubon’s vice president for policy and advocacy, Michelle Manion, noted that by valuing the role of nature in climate mitigation, the report offers a roadmap for achieving net-zero goals without sacrificing ecosystems. Manion explained:

“The path forward with the lowest costs solves for both clean energy and nature—and it’s right in front of us.”

With solar positioned to proliferate nationwide to help achieve net zero by 2050, reports like Thompson’s and Manion’s must become front and center before farmland and forests are eaten up, and our once beautiful countryside becomes a vast expanse of glaring solar arrays. This notion is not far-fetched at all. For example, in Virginia, where solar power is attractive to developers because of its cheap, abundant land and large transmission lines that provide easy access to the electric grid, counties began to balk as solar companies sought land across the state for their projects. The rule of thumb, given current technology, is that for every megawatt of power, roughly 10 acres of land are required. Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) permit by rule coordinator Mary “Beth” Major has calculated that the 50 projects already permitted by the department represent 27,000 acres of solar development. If all 70 projects in the program’s queue go forward, that figure will rise to almost 100,000 acres. Halifax County Administrator Scott Simpson remarked:

“That’s land that will be out of production for agriculture or timber production for at least a generation.

Over a cycle of 35 to 45 years, [tax revenue from solar farms] really did not offset the impacts of solar. We’re giving up our natural resources, our land, and we’re not being compensated properly for it. And we felt like there should be a lot more equity there.”

In Michigan, the DNR aimed to lease approximately 4,000 acres of public land statewide to generate revenue and support the state’s goal of achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2040. As part of this initiative, the DNR identified the 420-acre forested site mentioned above west of Gaylord, a city in northern Michigan’s Lower Peninsula near the Mackinac Bridge. According to Scott Whitcomb, director of the DNR Office of Public Lands, this location offers two significant advantages: its proximity to an existing electrical transmission corridor and the presence of a nearby private solar project, which could be expanded for greater efficiency.

Whitcomb also noted that the site is not entirely pristine. Portions had already been cleared and replanted with red pine seedlings, while other areas were actively used for oil and gas extraction. These factors made the site a practical choice for solar development. However, not surprisingly, the proposal has faced public opposition, with Whitcomb acknowledging that it is “not incredibly popular with everyone.” Disgusted by the recent developments in Michigan, state representative Ken Borton (R-Gaylord) proclaimed in a press release:

“Mind-numbing decisions like this are absolute proof that the DNR is completely rotten to its core. This deforestation will destroy habitats and effectively kill wildlife. Let me make that clear, the DNR is choosing to kill wildlife so they can build solar panels.”

 

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Tracy Beanz & Michelle Edwards

Tracy Beanz is an investigative journalist with a focus on corruption. She is known for her unbiased, in-depth coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. She hosts the Dark to Light podcast, found on all major video and podcasting platforms. She is a bi-weekly guest on the Joe Pags Radio Show, has been on Steve Bannon’s WarRoom and is a frequent guest on Emerald Robinson’s show. Tracy is Editor-in-chief at UncoverDC.com.