Marion County Commissioners back solar, wind restrictions in Waldo Township

Waldo Township has now joined the list of local government entities in Marion County to place restrictions on the development of solar and wind energy facilities.

The Marion County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 on Thursday to approve a resolution submitted by the Waldo Township Trustees seeking support of the restrictions. No Waldo Township residents attended the public hearing conducted by the county commissioners. Trustee Mike Augenstein was in attendance, but did not comment on the resolution, which the trustees unanimously supported.

Like similar resolutions passed by seven other townships, the resolution "designates all unincorporated areas of Waldo Township to be a restricted area prohibiting the construction of an 'economically significant wind farm,' a 'large wind farm,' or a 'large solar facility,' as those terms are defined in the Ohio Revised Code."

Previously, Big Island, Claridon, Green Camp, Pleasant, Prospect, Richland, and Salt Rock township trustees voted to restrict solar and wind facility development. The county commissioners signed the Prospect Township resolution on Dec. 29. They approved the Green Camp Township resolution on Dec. 1.

Commissioners signed off on the Pleasant Township resolution on June 7. The other four township resolutions were approved on Aug. 18. All of the resolutions were drafted with similar language.

According to Section 4 of Ohio Senate Bill 52, which went into effect on Oct. 11, 2021, the restrictions "shall not apply to any application for a certificate, or material amendment to an existing certificate, from the (Ohio) power siting board." Senate Bill 52 allows county commissioners "to prevent Ohio Power Siting Board certification of certain wind and solar facilities by adopting a resolution designating all or part of the unincorporated area of the county as a restricted area."

Teri Slaughterbeck, administrative clerk for the Marion County Commissioners, said at this point in time no other townships have submitted resolutions seeking the commissioners' support for restrictions on solar and wind facility development. Townships that have not yet submitted resolutions include Bowling Green, Grand, Grand Prairie, Montgomery, Scott, and Tully. A large-scale solar facility is slated to be built in northern Marion Township.

Pleasant Township residents have been actively working for the past few years to prevent the creation of a solar facility. They showed up in force to the public hearing the county commissioners conducted last June to show their support for the resolution restricting development of solar and wind projects.

National Renewable Energy Corporation (NARENCO) is the owner of Chestnut Solar LLC, which is seeking to locate a solar facility in Pleasant Township. According to the Ohio Power Siting Board website, Chestnut Solar is in the pre-application phase. The company's proposed electric generation would be placed on a 404-acre site in eastern Pleasant Township and have a capacity of up to 68 megawatts.

A large group of Pleasant Township residents attended a public meeting Chester Solar LLC held on Dec. 6 at Tri-Rivers Career Center. Residents were largely disappointed with the format of the meeting, which did not include a public question and answer session. Instead, Chester Solar officials directed local residents to submit questions and comments in writing. Company representatives, however, did have small group and individual discussions with residents after making brief opening comments.

Marion Township officials have paved the way for a large-scale solar energy project. In July 2022, the Marion County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with Marion County Solar Project LLC to build a solar farm in northern Marion Township. It's expected to generate $356,000 in annual revenue for the Ridgedale Local School District.

Marion County Solar Project LLC (MCSP) received approval from the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) in November 2021 to build a 100 megawatt solar energy facility on approximately 700 acres of land in Marion Township. The company has leased a total of 970 acres of land in the township from property owner Kepford-Gottfried, Inc.

The agreement between the county and Marion County Solar Project LLC calls for the company to pay $1 million to the county when construction of the facility begins and $1 million when the facility becomes operational.

Additionally, the agreement requires MCSP to make an annual payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to the county and other applicable tax districts (including Ridgedale Local School District and Marion Township) in the amount of $700,000, under terms of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority tax exemption. That equates to $7,000 per megawatt.

The solar facility's property is bounded on the west side by POET Biorefining and agricultural land and on the east side by Ohio 423. The southern boundary runs along Marion-Williamsport Road West. The northern side of the property borders more agricultural land.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion Co. Commissioners back solar, wind restrictions in Waldo Twp.