~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors stood its ground at the meeting on Sept. 26 in yet another presentation-negotiation from representatives of National Grid Renewables, the utility level solar energy company that is proposing a 1000-acre solar farm south of Grand Junction.
NGR has sent representatives to the previous eight weekly board meetings. At each meeting, the board had to caution the representatives to only present general information helpful to the board in writing a county zoning ordinance for utility level solar energy projects.
NGR representatives repeatedly violated the board’s direction over the course of the previous meetings. Representatives Marta Lasch and Tom Karas had often presented information in disjointed pieces, giving contradictory information and sprinkling in NGR’s requirements for the county in writing the county zoning ordinance.
Time was spent across the meetings in NGR wanting to change definitions of buildings and dwellings in order to better a possible future position for themselves if their solar project becomes a reality.
At the meeting on Sept. 26, the board’s frustration had reached its limit.
After another lengthy session with Lasch and Karas in which the board was again led in rehashing old information and talking in circles in order to convince the supervisors to reduce setback distances, NGR representatives told the board “the project will be in question” if NGR’s setback recommendations were not adopted in the county.
Representatives Lasch and Karas and NGR attorney Kristy Rogers spoke about “what we need to save the project.”
Karas brought a general map and compared various setback distances to illustrate the effects on neighbors of a solar project. His argument was smaller setback distances could make the project more “viable” while “being a more effective use of farmland.”
Chair John Muir repeated, as he has said in previous meetings, “Six hundred foot (setback) from dwellings is not going to change.”
Muir said, “We’re not deterring development. We’re promoting ag land and our primary thoughts are of people already residing there.”
Supervisor Mick Burkett had had enough.
“We’ve sat here an hour. Why are we negotiating with Renewable? These are OUR ordinances!” Burkett said.
County attorney Thomas Laehn said There’s a definition of ‘dwelling’ in the ordinance.
He advised the board they need to make sure setback distances are “tied to the underlying rationale of safety regarding fire, electromagnetic field effects, and glare from the solar panels.”
Laehn also added the preservation of agricultural land as a consideration the board needs to take.
“Be able to justify (the setback distances decided upon),” Laehn advised.
County attorney Laehn and NGR attorney Rogers discussed what is included in a utility-level solar energy system and in a maximum of 1000 acres, and how these are measured.
The board gave Laehn permission to redefine the 1000-acre cap in the draft zoning ordinance. The board agreed “the horizontal surface area of all structures contained in a solar energy system” would be contained in 1000 acres. It would “exclude transmission and collection lines.”
Additionally, after a division of opinion between a 150 -foot setback for property lines and a 50-foot setback, the board agreed on a 75-foot property line setback. Cemetery, wild life management, and state recreation areas will be setback a minimum of 150 feet.
Supervisor Peter Bardole has abstained from discussion and voting on the utility level solar energy ordinances as he has property in the area NGR has shown interest in developing.
Laehn said he would have a final draft of all codified ordinances with the Sept. 28 changes ready for public review by the time the notice of public hearing is published. This draft will be available in the auditor’s office and the county attorney’s office.
The board set a public hearing on the Proposed Greene County Iowa Code of Ordinances 2022 for Oct. 3 at 9 am.
After this public hearing, the board will hold the first reading of Ordinance 2022-05, an Ordinance Adopting a New Code of Ordinances for Greene County, Iowa.
Chuck Wenthold, environmental, gave the board a map of the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline in Greene County showing land where owners have not signed easement agreements with SCS.
SCS representatives Paul Phillips and Riley Gibson had attended the Sept. 19 supervisors meeting and quoted statistics about land acquisition in Greene County for the pipeline.
Phillips and Gibson had said 78.8 percent of land in Greene County (for the pipeline) has been acquired through easement agreements compared to 50 percent of land acquired by easement agreements in the State.
Phillips and Gibson had said they would begin permitting process with the county engineer’s office.
Wade Weiss, county engineer, spoke to the board with more information about the purchase of maintainers he had proposed at the meeting on Sept. 19.
Weiss said he and supervisor Peter Bardole had talked after that meeting for clarification.
Weiss told the board the county could avoid a 2 percent price increase if the two proposed maintainers were ordered now for delivery in December 2023. Weiss said this could amount to $37,000.
Weiss noted his budget could cover the cost of the maintainers and these would lower the average age and hours for the total number of maintainers in use.
In other business, the board unanimously approved a routine yearly Class C beer permit for Paton Pitstop.
