Adds requirement for GJ Solar to offer money for vegetative screens
The Greene County board of adjustment on July 6 approved an application by National Grid Renewables for a conditional use permit for Grand Junction Solar LLC, a utility-size solar energy electricity generating operation south of Grand Junction.
The action was taken after a public hearing that lasted more than three hours. It was the second long public hearing on the permit, as the board of adjustment in May denied the initial permit application.
The amended application incorporated most concerns expressed by the board and county residents at the first hearing.
Marta Lasch, senior permitting specialist for NGR, explained changes in the second application. The project timeline was changed, with construction expected to begin early in 2024 and be completed in the spring of 2025.
The estimate of tax revenue has increased slightly and is now at $123,000 annually, paid by NGR as a “replacement tax” to make up for revenue lost by taking the land out of an agricultural production tax rate. Grand Junction Solar will also donate up to $20,000 annually to a charitable fund established for the benefit of the local community.
The battery energy storage system (BESS) was taken out of the plan. “We heard your concerns and your uncertainty about the safety of the battery storage project,” Lasch said. “We removed it from the application so we can address the public’s concerns and the county’s concerns with a lot more time and attention for a possible future battery… It will take time to make sure people see the benefits battery resources can provide. In the interest of the time to get this project approved, we’re moving on.”
The project boundaries were changed with the removal of two parcels that won’t host project infrastructure. More efficient solar panels have been selected for the project, allowing it to reach its 100 megawatt capacity with fewer panels. With that, the configuration of the panels was changed to give one of the adjacent non-participating landowners unobstructed east-west views.
A more “robust and detailed” emergency response plan was included.
NGR attorney Kristy Rogers spoke more specifically about that plan. She said the plan in the amended application is three times longer than in the first application.
The plan now has more details of safe shutdown and start up procedures in the event of an emergency, including general evacuation procedures; bi-weekly inspections from May 1 through Sept. 30 for any increased hazard due to vegetation and/or drought conditions; and annual drills at the site with local fire departments.
She said the plan specifies that before any effort is made to extinguish a fire, employees must shut down and place all equipment in a de-energized state (no electric current). Local emergency responders will be trained not to touch anything until it has been de-energized.
County emergency management director Doug Hawn has reviewed the plan, according to Rogers.
“Grand Junction Solar cares about having a good relationship with the community. We’ve made an effort to try to involve the community with this plan and to make sure it goes above and beyond the ordinance,” Rogers said.
Members of the board of adjustment asked questions following the NGR presentation. Wade Sohm asked about weed control at the site and was told a vegetation specialist will create a seeding plan and general contractors will take care of seeding and maintaining the property. He also asked about any grazing agreements and was told NGR is currently piloting grazing sheep at another facility. Only sheep are suitable for grazing at a solar installation.
Sohm also asked if vegetative screens would be built around the facility. Those screens are not required by the county ordinance he was told. The plan is for 8-foot woven wire ag fencing with wooden posts. A chain link fence will surround the substation.
That conversation led to discussion of Grand Junction Solar working with neighboring landowners to put vegetative screens on their property to block their view of the project.
Board member Angie Jewitt asked about maintenance of a property Grand Junction Solar has already purchased on Hwy 144, noting that it is not currently being mowed. Tom Karas, senior project developer for the project, said a person had been hired to mow, but issues arose that required the help of law enforcement. The contractor was told not to mow again until further notice.
Jewitt also asked about possible hail damage, saying a solar facility in Nebraska has been hit by baseball-sized hail. NGR director of field services John Bloom answered such an event would initiate emergency action. The company is working toward technology that would automate tilting the solar panels to minimize damage. It can now be done manually or remotely.
Bloom also answered a question about eliminating the battery storage system. He said all electricity will be immediately put into the energy grid. The difference is that the facility will only produce what can be used immediately, rather than producing excess and storing it for later use.
When the hearing was open for public comment, county treasurer Katlynn Mechaelsen spoke about tax revenue. She and Rogers had both spoken with the same person at the Iowa Department of Revenue about the replacement tax and had different interpretations of what they were told. Mechaelsen explained that because the replacement tax is based on the energy output of the facility, if output is less than expected or if the project were to be taken offline, there would be less tax revenue.
The lag time between assessment and payment, and the process of reclassifying property also confuses the issue. She asked NGR to lobby the state legislature for more clarity in state code to eliminate questions.
After more than three hours of presentation and discussion, board member Cale Juergensen made a motion to approve NGR’s conditional use permit with the added condition that Grand Junction Solar LLC add to its plan a requirement that neighboring residents, both those who own property involved in the project and those who don’t, be offered financial compensation for placing vegetative screens (trees or bushes) between their residences and the project. Sohm seconded the motion.
Board member Dan Tronchetti attempted to amend the motion by requiring GJ Solar to strike part of the application he objected to. Specifically, he objected to wording under a heading “The project will promote the public health and welfare” that stated, “The proposed project will benefit public health by avoiding the emission of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere because the fuel source for the project will be the sun, therefore allowing the generation of energy without any combustion.”
Tronchetti earlier in the hearing labeled that a statement of political ideology. “I don’t think politics to save the planet should be part of this… I’d like to know who got to decide that CO2 is harmful and bad for the environment. I think that’s part of the reason we’ve had record corn yields the last few years, is because of the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. You’ve got greenhouse operators that sometimes inject CO2 into the greenhouse to increase yields.”
His motion to amend was not seconded.
The vote to approve the permit was 4-1, with board chair Mike Holden and members Juergensen, Wade Sohm and Jewett voting yes on the motion to approve and Tronchetti voting no.
Jewett read a prepared statement as she gave her vote. She thanked NGR for addressing the concerns raised in May, but said, “Unfortunately, our first encounter (with NGR) still makes me feel that NGR slanted the Greene County agenda in creation of this ordinance… and I don’t feel it’s in the best interest of our county. At times during the process, I felt like even our county attorney seemed to be working in support of the project, not on behalf of the board of adjustment or the county.
“Those who are against the project, please remember that the board of adjustment can only approve or reject the application based on whether it meets the requirement of the ordinance, as this does. So, direct your displeasure to the board of supervisors for not taking action immediately when it became obvious they were missing the specifics. Urge them to fix the loopholes… so the issues don’t come up again… The application as presented, while still deficient in some detail, complies with the ordinance.”
Juergensen said he thought Grand Junction Solar went “above and beyond” what they needed to in the second permit.
Tronchetti also said he appreciated the changes made by Grand Junction Solar, but said he couldn’t vote for something that wasn’t science-based.
Holden thanked NGR and Grand Junction Solar for what they’re willing to invest in Greene County in the future.
