Shawnee County Planning Commission proposes one-year moratorium on wind and solar projects
More than 40 area residents gathered Monday to listen and express their concerns about the future of wind and solar energy in Shawnee County.
Some were in favor of the clean energy, while others were opposed.
The Shawnee County Planning Commission had a public hearing for Topeka and Shawnee County residents to weigh in on the issue. The meeting was at the Great Overland Station, 800 N.W. Railroad St.
One-year moratorium for solar energy conversion system and projects
The planning commission proposed amending Shawnee County zoning regulations to implement a one-year moratorium on all limited and commercial solar energy conversion system and projects.
The moratorium would allow the planning department and commission to conduct necessary research, make appropriate findings and reach long-range decisions, said Joni Thadani, Shawnee County planning director.
Vickie Arnett, co-chair of the League of Women Voters of Topeka-Shawnee County climate study committee, said the league supports the development of alternative energy sources to allow utilities to move away from the use of fossil fuels.
"We oppose the one-year moratorium on utility scaled solar. We recommend regulating utility scale solar development by protecting specific places and resources," Arnett said. "This approach allows the planning commission to utilize the conditional use permitting process to include additional regulations such as transmission citing and road maintenance and future contractual agreements."
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Topeka resident Mark Richards said energy put into constructing wind and farms will be difficult to recoup.
"I think that solar and wind are a good way to offset and mitigate the cost of small manufacturing facilities or even your home and residential use," Richards said, "but the large farms, wind or solar are just not the way to go. We will never ever regain the amount of energy back from those as it took to construct them.
"A one-year moratorium is great, but we need to have a complete ban."
A one-year ban on wind energy conversion
The county's planning government also unanimously voted to amend the Shawnee County zoning regulations by prohibiting limited and commercial wind energy conversion systems and projects in all zones of Shawnee County.
"It is my opinion that if the planning commission were to recommend or allow for personal wind, that we need more research and we need more time to identify what those definitions would be and what those regulations might be," Thadani said.
In some cases, counties simply ban large renewable energy projects, as part of a backlash to their growing presence.
"I'm not anti-wind, this proposal and this recommendation is not an anti-wind recommendation," Thadani said. "It is a 'It is not suitable for Shawnee County recommendation.'
"There are times and places and locations where wind may be appropriate, but we're not looking at those factors and we're not looking at those considerations. What we're looking at is what is suitable for Shawnee County."
The Shawnee County Planning Commission in mid-September launched an online poll on Survey Monkey seeking residents' answers to 30 questions regarding forms of renewable energy.
Almost all the 894 people who responded lived in Shawnee County, owned property in Shawnee County or both.
What is the trend for clean energy in the United States?
At least 15% of counties in the U.S. have effectively halted new utility-scale wind, solar, or both, USA TODAY found.
These aren't the solar panels you might have on your house but installations significant enough to replace power plants, each one powering tens of thousands of homes. The U.S. has set a goal to reach 100% clean energy by 2035.
A nationwide analysis by USA TODAY showed that achieving it is "increasingly unlikely" as local governments are banning green power faster than they're building it.
What's next after the Shawnee County planning committee proposals?
Proposals will be considered by the Shawnee County Commission — which is made up of Bill Riphahn, Kevin Cook and Aaron Mays — at 9 a.m. June 13 at 707 S.E. Quincy St.
Commissioners will have final say on any energy bans or moratoriums.
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Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at klately@cjonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lately_KT.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Shawnee County Planning Commission proposes wind and solar moratorium
