MANSFIELD — A conversation about potential wind and solar power projects filled every seat — and some of the hallway — in the room where the Richland County Board of Commissioners met Thursday.
County residents, several township trustees and at least one electrical union representative were all in attendance to hear the three-member board’s decision regarding proposed legislation.
What preceded the vote was nearly a 90-minute public discussion from a packed house as every resident who spoke asked commissioners not to impose a prohibition on such projects.
Ultimately, commissioners voted unanimously to declare portions of Richland County’s unincorporated areas be “restricted areas prohibiting construction of economically significant wind farms, large wind farms and large solar facilities.”
These restricted areas include Bloominggrove, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Mifflin, Monroe, Perry, Plymouth, Sharon, Troy and Weller townships.
Trustees in all of those townships had asked commissioners for the restriction.
Unincorporated areas in Richland County where economically significant and large wind farms and large solar facilities remain unrestricted are Cass, Butler, Sandusky, Springfield, Madison, Washington and Worthington townships.
County restrictions do not apply to incorporated areas, which include Plymouth, Shiloh, Shelby, Crestline, Galion, Ontario, Mansfield, Lucas, Lexington, Bellville and Butler.
The resolution stems from a letter sent by commissioners in February to all township trustees in Richland County — soliciting townships’ feedback on wind farms and/or solar facilities in their communities.
The letter came after two townships approached commissioners on the topic.
If a township’s board of trustees supports the idea of potential development, then no action was necessary on its behalf. But commissioners asked any boards opposed to adopt a resolution requesting they take “restrictive action” on the township’s behalf.
Public input
One after another, residents spoke against the prohibition.
Jeff Strang, a longtime educator at St. Peter’s High School in Mansfield, said Richland County has a special opportunity to benefit economically from wind farms.
Facility definitions
— Economically significant wind farm: wind turbines and associated facilities with a single interconnection to the electrical grid and designed for, or capable of, operation at an aggregate capacity of five or more megawatts but less than fifty megawatts.
— Large wind farm: an electric generating plant that consists of wind turbines and associated facilities with a single interconnection to the electrical grid that is a major utility facility.
— Large solar facility: an electric generating plant that consists of solar panels and associated facilities with a single interconnection to the electrical grid that is a major utility facility.
“Not only should we be planting turbines, we should be manufacturing them,” he said. “And we should be distributing them here in Mansfield.”
Strang spoke about the opportunity missed when Charles Lazarus once considered opening a department store at the I-71/Ohio 13 interchange.
He said the entrepreneur ended up selecting Ontario for what became the anchor for the Richland Mall because local officials didn’t have the foresight to have the needed infrastructure in place to accommodate the business.
Strang said the still undeveloped interchange at I-71/Ohio 39 could be a perfect place for clean energy development and urged commissioners not to lose another opportunity.
Since Senate Bill 52 — which amends the process for siting certain wind-powered and solar-powered electric generation facilities in the state — passed in 2021, no large wind or solar project has been proposed in the county.
Others argued restrictions on wind and solar should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, rather than a blanket prohibition.
John Makley, a Sharon Township resident, said scattered prohibited areas around the county could lower the potential for a large project.
“Why not go on a case-by-case basis?” Makley asked commissioners. “The power demands of our county, of our state, are only going to grow. Eliminating sources is only going to make power more expensive.”
Brian McPeek, business manager for the IBEW 688 in Mansfield, has been involved in the permitting and approval process of solar factories around the state, including in Crawford, Wyandot, Morrow and Knox counties.
On Thursday, he said major companies like Amazon or Intel want communities to have some source of clean energy.
“They’re (companies) forward-thinking,” McPeek said. “(If) we’re banning these projects (than) we’re banning development in Richland County. There’s no reason to do that now.”
Resident William Schmidt remembered when Interstate 71 was planned across the county and that he opposed it because it impacted his family’s land.
He asked commissioners to consider today the positive impact of the interstate and to imagine trying to drive to Columbus without using it.
He said the “not in my backyard” reasoning was not acceptable from those who oppose wind and/or solar energy projects.
Others said they felt uninformed that this legislation was being considered or that a lack of inquiry was made by township trustees.
Some trustees in attendance Thursday did respond that it’s up to the public to participate in public hearings and meetings, noting they don’t often receive an attendance like Thursday’s meeting.
Not an ‘outright prohibition,’ says Vero
Commissioner Tony Vero said commissioners felt the decision to prohibit these projects in specific townships was a decision which should be left to trustees.
He said the legislation passed Thursday does not prevent large wind or solar projects from coming to other areas of Richland County.
“If we go out and fill up these townships with amazing solar projects that bring clean energy, labor and we can do more, I am 100 percent willing to revisit and rescind a prohibition potentially,” he said.
But Vero doubled down on making it clear commissioners’ position remained centered on the requests of individual townships.
“Again, I think we need to follow the wishes of our local townships,” he responded when asked why the legislation was necessary if no projects are currently on the table.
Down the road, Commissioner Darrell Banks said he’s not in favor of taking away farmland for solar fields.
“I’m not convinced at all that I want to give up farmland for solar fields,” he said.
During the vote, Commissioner Cliff Mears also voted yes, “because we (commissioners) can’t turn our backs on what the townships have asked.”
