Article
Marion County Commissioners voice opposition to Chestnut Solar project
Marion Star|Andrew Carter|February 13, 2023
The Marion County Commissioners have adopted a resolution expressing opposition to a proposed solar energy facility in Pleasant Township. In 2016, the National Renewable Energy Corporation (NARENCO) based in Charlotte, North Carolina, began concept work for a proposed Chestnut Solar LLC solar farm in Pleasant Township. According to the Chestnut Solar LLC website, the 68 megawatt project would be located on about 500 acres of farmland. The company has filed an application with the Ohio Power Siting Board.
The Marion County Commissioners have adopted a resolution expressing opposition to a proposed solar energy facility in Pleasant Township. In 2016, the National Renewable Energy Corporation (NARENCO) based in Charlotte, North Carolina, began concept work for a proposed Chestnut Solar LLC solar farm in Pleasant Township. According to the Chestnut Solar LLC website, the 68 megawatt project would be located on about 500 acres of farmland. The company has filed an application with the Ohio Power Siting Board.
The Marion County Commissioners have adopted a resolution expressing opposition to a proposed solar energy facility in Pleasant Township.
In 2016, the National Renewable Energy Corporation (NARENCO) based in Charlotte, North Carolina, began concept work for a proposed Chestnut Solar LLC solar farm in Pleasant Township. According to the Chestnut Solar LLC website, the 68 megawatt project would be located on about 500 acres of farmland. The company has filed an application with the Ohio Power Siting Board.
Commissioners Mark Davis and Kerr Murray voted in favor of the resolution during the commissioners’ meeting on Thursday. Commissioner Andy Appelfeller was not present at the meeting.
This is the first resolution approved by the …
... more
[truncated due to possible copyright]
The Marion County Commissioners have adopted a resolution expressing opposition to a proposed solar energy facility in Pleasant Township.
In 2016, the National Renewable Energy Corporation (NARENCO) based in Charlotte, North Carolina, began concept work for a proposed Chestnut Solar LLC solar farm in Pleasant Township. According to the Chestnut Solar LLC website, the 68 megawatt project would be located on about 500 acres of farmland. The company has filed an application with the Ohio Power Siting Board.
Commissioners Mark Davis and Kerr Murray voted in favor of the resolution during the commissioners’ meeting on Thursday. Commissioner Andy Appelfeller was not present at the meeting.
This is the first resolution approved by the Marion County Commissioners regarding solar or wind energy facilities that names a specific company. Other resolutions have affirmed resolutions from township trustees seeking to restrict the development of large-scale solar and wind facilities.
The commissioners’ resolution approved on Thursday states that “the Facility proposed in the Chestnut Solar application is incompatible with the adopted policies for development of renewable energy and farmland preservation” under terms of the amended Marion County Land Use Plan adopted by the commissioners on March 8, 2012.
The resolution further states “that the construction and operation of the Facility would be incompatible with the general health, safety, and welfare of the residents of Marion County, and therefore would not serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity of the residents of the County.”
Attorney Scott E. North of the law firm Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP attended Thursday’s meeting to represent Chestnut Solar. He told the commissioners that adopting the resolution would be “premature and ill-advised given its reliance on a false statement” contained in the resolution, according to Chestnut Solar officials.
According to a document North provided to the Star, Chestnut Solar and its representatives take issue with the following statement in resolution:
“… Chestnut Solar has not provided the Marion County Board of Commissioners with the evidence necessary to demonstrate that the Facility is grandfathered from the application of Sections 303.61, 303.62, and 4906.102 of the Ohio Revised Code, despite several requests starting four months ago by the Board’s representatives for that evidence.”
North said Jack Van Kley, an attorney retained by the Marion County Commissioners to investigate Chestnut Solar’s claims that the company is grandfathered under terms of Ohio Senate Bill 52, has not yet completed his investigation and was scheduled to meet with Chestnut Solar officials and its attorneys on Thursday afternoon at the offices of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP in Columbus.
At that meeting, North said, Van Kley would be shown “non-public information” and documents that would “corroborate information that Chestnut has already provided to Attorney Van Kley, demonstrating that the Project is grandfathered.”
Charles Hall, Marion County assistant prosecuting attorney, told the commissioners that Van Kley has shown him emails sent to Chestnut Solar requesting the information that would show the company is grandfathered under terms Ohio Senate Bill 52. Hall stated that the company did not comply with the requests for information.
In June 2022, the county commissioners approved a resolution submitted by the Pleasant Township Trustees to restrict the development of large-scale solar and wind facilities in the township. According to the resolution, which Pleasant Township Trustees approved on Dec. 29, 2021, "no solar or wind farms considered 'major utility facility' are to be constructed in Pleasant Township."
The Marion County Commissioners have approved resolutions seeking to restrict the development of solar and wind projects from trustees in eight of the county's fifteen townships: Big Island, Claridon, Green Camp, Pleasant, Prospect, Richland, Salt Rock, and Waldo.
According to the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) database, only one solar project has been approved to operate in Marion County. The Marion County Solar Project LLC is a proposed 100 megawatt solar energy facility that will be located on approximately 500 to 600 acres of land in northern Marion Township. The OPSB granted approval for the project in November 2021.