State Rep. Pat Outman (R-Six Lakes) today expressed his disappointment with the state’s Department of Natural Resources after recent reporting exposed the department’s intent to destroy more than 400 acres of forest, located just west of Gaylord, to clear the way for solar farms.

Outman said that any person involved in this decision should be fired, as this plot was made in complete contrast to the DNR’s responsibility to protect Michigan’s wildlife and forests.

“I’ve lost faith in the DNR. Without trust, effective conservation is simply not possible,” Outman said. “It’s time for change within the department. It’s clear that leadership does not have what’s best in mind for our state’s natural resources.”

The legislator questioned the thought process behind the decision and whether the DNR even had the authority to lease public land for private use – especially when that use leads to the destruction of it.

“Clearing forests in the name of climate action isn’t just misguided – it’s downright delusional, like brushing your teeth with Pepsi,” Outman said.

In fall 2023, legislative Democrats rammed through radical green energy legislation mandating 100% “clean” energy by 2040, closing reliable natural gas plants and increasing dependence on less reliable wind and solar power. An expert analysis projects that average monthly electric bills could nearly double because of the new laws.

The plan also gave the Michigan Public Service Commission, a three-member panel of unelected bureaucrats, authority to approve green energy projects, taking away local communities’ discretion over the placement of wind turbines and solar farms.

Outman said rural areas like his will bear the brunt of this government overreach, despite many rural areas opposing such projects and local elected officials voting against bills that pushed them.

Rumors have surfaced that the DNR intends to clear cut another 1,000 acres to replace with solar fields. Outman said he is committed to doing everything he can to shed light on this issue and halt the misguided deforestation of state land, as are his Republican colleagues in the Legislature.

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