Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

More than 6,000 Livingston County residents have already signed onto a statewide ballot proposal, pushing back on a new Michigan law that critics argue takes away local control of permitting wind turbines and solar panels.

"Never before in the state of Michigan has zoning been taken away from local townships and cities. Doing this opens up a whole can of worms for what's next. We need to push back on this. This is essentially the freedom of our local control, and we can't give it up," says Tom Parker, Livingston County co-captain for the group Citizens for Local Choice.

"Local people know all the drainage in their area. They know all of the nuances that are important. The setbacks really determine what will happen to property values nearby, not just the land that it's on."

The Michigan Legislature in November, passed House Bill 5120, that adds what Parker and others call barriers to local control of zoning for utility-scale wind and solar projects.

They argue once it goes into effect this fall, it will supersede local control across our state for utility-scale wind and solar projects.

Citizens for Local Choice still needs hundreds of thousands of signatures to get their initiative on the ballot, and will be out in force this spring.

"As the weather turns here in a few weeks, I feel like it's going to explode. The whole challenge right now is the knowledge of the citizens," says Parker.

"They need to understand what's going on here and how their one signature can make a difference."

Volunteers will be gathering signatures locally this Friday and Saturday outside the Mugg & Bopps in Hartland.

Click the links below to learn more about the campaign and legislation it seeks to repeal.