Michigan's Plan To Manage Development Of 322,000 Megawatts Of Offshore Wind Power Potential
Empire Bluff on Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - one of the off limit "viewsheds" listed in Michigans offshore wind power management plan. Image credit: Traverse City MI Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Michigan has a vision of how it should properly develop large-scale, off-shore wind power projects. Instead of waiting to react to random project proposals, some of which would provoke delight, and some outrage, they've mapped out resource boundaries that make environmental, economic, and political sense. The Governor commissioned an ad hoc group to study the resource and people's attitudes and make management recommendations. The upshot - from the TraverseCity, Mich. Record Eagle:
Of the 7,874-square miles of shallow water [in the combined Michigan Great Lakes], 356 are off-limits, 537 are considered favorable and the remaining 6,981 are in conditional areas that require site-specific study.Developers: take note. Other governors: take note. Proactive, rational planning is the way forward.
I think of this as a 'Model A' moment: the future looks good if you look to the future with confidence. Good going Michigan.
Related posts.321 Gigawatts of Wind Power Awaits Exploitation Off Michigan's ShoresOffshore Wind Power in Great Lakes Touted as Untapped ResourceMichigan, Ground Zero For Sustainability, Struggling To Develop Wind Power
