A photo voltaic facility is being mentioned in Concord Twp. close to Plattsburg, however no public listening to has been scheduled for the ability, in response to Concord Twp. trustee Jay Flax, who attended the general public listening to on Wednesday.
This week, the potential facility additionally didn’t file a pre-application with the Ohio Energy Siting Board, which oversees the event and building of utility suppliers within the state, in response to the board’s web site.
Rejecting the blanket restriction implies that builders of photo voltaic or wind amenities who wish to name Clark County residence will undergo the identical course of they undergo now earlier than and after breaking floor: a number of approval steps from Ohio Energy Siting. Board, together with environmental influence research and public hearings for residents residing close to the proposed facility to voice any considerations.
The initiatives should additionally get approval from PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission group that manages wholesale electrical energy in Ohio and different states.
Six of the county’s 10 cities – Springfield, Concord, Moorefield, Madison, Pike and Bethel – requested the fee to limit their county areas from wind and photo voltaic facility growth.
Many individuals have expressed their help for banning photo voltaic and wind amenities within the county.
Longtime farmer Invoice Agle stated on the public listening to he has acquired a number of letters from solar energy builders over time asking about his farm. He isn’t against utilizing photo voltaic panels to generate vitality, however desires to see them restricted to areas of the county that do not comprise farmland.
“I am scuffling with why we wish to cowl our farm, which is one in every of our largest sources,” he stated. “There are a variety of locations on the town. Previous, poor, dilapidated buildings that may be torn down, torn down and cleaned up.”
Others, nonetheless, expressed opposition to blanket restrictions on photo voltaic and wind amenities in unincorporated areas of the county.
Larry Ricketts, of Springfield, stated he thinks property homeowners, together with farmers, ought to have the choice to promote or lease land, if they need, to vitality suppliers.
“We’ve got a selection now, and within the subsequent few years. We are able to settle for the truth that photo voltaic and wind and a majority of these farms are the wave of the longer term,” he stated. “What I am saying is, watch out if you do one thing like this, saying you possibly can’t do one thing after which handcuffing your self.”
Commissioners Melanie Flax Wilt, Sasha Rittenhouse and Lowell McGlothin finally rejected the blanket ban on wind and photo voltaic amenities in unincorporated areas of the county in a 3-0 vote, citing considerations over the ban. the authorized use of the property.
Flax Wilt stated Wednesday’s choice was not concerning the validity of wind and solar energy; reasonably, the impact of limiting the authorized use of the property.
“One problem I am unable to actually repair myself is property rights: taking property rights for any authorized use,” he stated. “That is the factor I hold specializing in, which has to do with me getting the house owner’s selection.”
