Letter to the Governor

​FROM STEVE LAZAR, MARSHALL TOWNSHIP RESIDENT
​This mega site has the backing of the governor as she thinks it’s good for Michigan. I believe she thinks solar and batteries are the future.  They may be part of the future however destroying farmland, the existing environment and altering the lives of residents, WITH NO WARNING, is not the way to go.  The residents here have had no say in this proposal, and they are not happy. This underhanded, back door approach is something I’d expect from Republicans. And subtly intimidating people, especially senior citizens, is reprehensible.
​
I’m approaching 74 years on this earth and have lived and worked in three States. I have heard the song and dance from industry about how concerned they are about the environment many times and have seen the wasteland and pollution they create and then leave behind. They all claim they’ll have safeguards in place. They all “prove” they’re meeting EPA standards. They all say their “runoff “ into the water is not harmful. I’m no geologist but I know the difference between a load of rocks and a load of crap.
Marshall is a small, rural and historic town and the citizens like it that way. The air and water and land and light pollution this mega site will create will ruin this area. You can’t have a site that big without pollution. Any denial of that comes from the product defense industry or lawyers, both of which are good at telling you the knife in your back is your fault.

I don’t think the present administration has considered the long term consequences of eradicating farmland for industrial use. This country should be able to feed itself but it won’t be able to if this kind of development  continues. We may have enough land but such heavy industrial sites alter the environment in so many ways that food production will be altered. Did you know that light pollution influences migration, insect biomass, animal mating rituals and much more. Our industrial complex has already polluted rivers and streams all over this country and has influenced food production in negative ways. Why add to this insane approach? There is such a thing as balance; small industrial sites that work with the existing landscape rather than the “scorched earth” approach this site has already started.

​