I am writing in opposition to the Application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need submitted by Grange Solar/Open Road Renewables and unnamed client (collectively ORR) to the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB).
ORR has submitted a 2,750-page application to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) for the Grange Solar Farm, which aims to meet new electricity demand rather than replace existing supply sources. Despite its length—nearly seven inches of printed paper—the application fails to demonstrate a genuine public need for Indian Lake, Logan County, or Ohio.
Public Need: Who is the public with the need?
If we are discussing building a solar farm, the focus must be on the electricity it generates. Without a demonstrated public need for this electricity, discussions about environmental compatibility are moot, and the project should not move forward.
PJM Interconnection Demand Forecast
PJM Interconnection, which coordinates electricity across thirteen states, forecasts a 2.4% annual growth in electricity demand from 2024 through 2034. Most of the projected increase in demand is due to electrification, including electric vehicle mandates, the replacement of natural gas and other hydrocarbons used in homes and businesses, and the increasing power demands of data centers and artificial intelligence technologies. This forecast suggests that there is going to be a public need in the PJM Interconnection market to support increases in future demand.
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) Forecast
In contrast, PUCO predicts minimal growth in Ohio’s electricity demand, with only a 1.9% total increase over 20 years (2021–2041)—equivalent to just 0.1% per year. The reason for this is that the population of Logan County has been flat, no increase since the year 2000. Ohio grew only 3.5% during that period, compared to the USA population that grew 18.1%. Ohio’s population is expected to decline 5.7% by 2050.
This projection underscores the lack of public need for the Grange Solar Farm in Ohio or Logan County.
It is the other states with growing populations, higher demands for electrification, data centers and AI technology who have the public need and who should host such projects instead of burdening communities like Indian Lake with solving a problem they have not and will not cause.
Tax Abatement Program: P.I.L.O.T.
Tax abatement programs are meant to address community-identified needs by stimulating local development and economic growth. They are not intended to allow external developers to create artificial demand. Building a facility in a community that neither wants nor benefits from it—while providing substantial tax breaks for just ten long-term jobs—is unjustifiable.
President Donald Trump’s Energy Policy
President Donald Trump won both the popular vote and the electoral college in the most recent election, carrying Ohio by over 11% and Logan County by an overwhelming 56%. This decisive mandate reflects support for his energy policies, which prioritize natural gas and clean coal over wind and solar farms. The Grange Solar Farm contradicts the energy policies endorsed by voters and is opposed by all local elected officials in Russells Point, Lakeview, and the surrounding townships.
Conclusion
The Grange Solar Farm fails to meet the critical standard of demonstrating a genuine public need. Its justification relies on regional demand projections rather than addressing specific needs in Logan County or Ohio. I urge the Ohio Power Siting Board to deny ORR’s application and recommend placing the solar farm in states that genuinely benefit from its electricity.
Charles Mallory
Russells Point
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