The staff of the Ohio Power Siting Board issued an investigative report Friday, Feb. 21, which recommends the board deny Grange Solar, LLC’s request for a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need related to its solar farm project in Logan County.
The certificate is among the requirements for Grange to build a 500 megawatt solar farm with a sheep grazing operation in Bloomfield, McArthur, Richland, Stokes and Washington townships in Logan County. The proposed project would occupy approximately 2,600 acres of buildable area within an approximate 4,000-acre project area comprised of private land secured by the applicant through executed lease contracts and pending sale contracts with the landowners, according to the report.
The 73-page report cites that Grange failed to meet at least one of the eight statutory requirements in its application; specifically, the board finds that the applicant “has failed to establish that that the facility will serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity” as required under the Ohio Revised Code.
The voting members of the OPSB (which includes nine members in this case, including two locally-appointed ad hoc members) can still grant Grange’s application request.
“Although not recommended, should the Board determine that a certificate should be granted, staff has proposed 67 conditions for the Board’s consideration in the certificate,” the report states.
CLICK HERE to read the full staff report
A local public hearing on the Grange project is slated for 5 p.m. on Monday, March 10, at Indian Lake High School, 6210 N. State Route 235, Lewistown.
The project’s evidentiary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. April 7, in Hearing Room 11-A, at the offices of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, 180 E. Broad St., Columbus.
Related to this case, the OPSB has received a significant number of written comments from area residents, elected officials and the public. Comments in opposition to the project emphasize negative impacts to views, noise, property values, economic impacts, drainage, zoning, proximity to Indian Lake, and loss of farmland. Comments in support highlight property owner’s rights, economic impacts, and the benefits of renewable energy, among other issues.
All of the public comments are available to view within the case record at the OPSB’s website, https://opsb.ohio.gov, by searching for Case No. 24-0801-EL-BGN.
Within the 2,600 acres, the proposed project anticipates using in the range of 812,000 to 1,806,000 solar panels, depending on final engineering and design considerations, and with a maximum panel height of 15 feet, the report states. The project would also include associated facilities such as access roads, underground electric collection lines, meteorological stations, inverters and transformers, and a 765 kV electric gen-tie line.
The project would be secured by agricultural-style perimeter fencing which would be 7-foot tall and accessed through gated entrances. The applicant would ensure that solar modules are set back a minimum of 300 feet from non-participating sensitive receptors, 50 feet from non-participating property boundaries, and at least 150 feet from the edge of any state, county, or township road within or adjacent to the project area, according to the report.
The Indian Lake Advocacy Group, which is opposed to the Grange Solar project, and Doug Herling, Open Road Renewables vice president, each issued statements to the Examiner in response to the OPSB staff report.
“We are disappointed in the recommendation in the Ohio Power Siting Board Staff Report of Investigation given the significant community support we’ve seen for our project, the vast energy and economic benefits it will deliver, and our full compliance with all of the OPSB’s siting requirements,” Herling said.
“If approved, the project will provide desperately-needed power to the grid as electricity demand and prices continue to skyrocket. It will also create more than 1,000 jobs, and will help strengthen the local school system, infrastructure, and public safety in Logan County by generating $5 million of dollars in tax revenue each year — money that will otherwise be lost if the project is denied.
“Opportunities to significantly reinforce public safety, expand educational opportunities, and create new opportunities for growth in the community are few and far between. These reasons and others are why we’ve seen community support for the project. In fact, of the more than 2,500 public comments on the docket, a large majority are in favor of the project.”
However, the Indian Lake Advocacy Group disputes this strong backing by the public in its recently released statement, detailing the organization’s analysis of the public comments submitted to the OPSB regarding the Grange Solar Project.
“The data, compiled through a thorough review of over 3,500 public comments revealed that 85.6 percent of the local respondents in the Indian Lake Region oppose the project, while only 14.4 percent support it. The analysis also extends to Logan County, where opposition remains strong with 73.4 percent of all respondents were against the project, further disproving claims of divided sentiment,” members said.
“The data speaks for itself—our community is overwhelmingly against this project,” said Aubrey Snapp, a representative of the Indian Lake Advocacy Group. “These are real people who will be directly affected, and they are making their voices heard. We could not be more pleased that the Ohio Power Siting Board recognized that the local government leaders and our community are overwhelmingly in opposition to the project.”
The local government’s opposition was a deciding factor in the OPSB Staff Report as well. Logan County Commissioners filed as intervenors along with Stokes Township, Richland Township, McArthur Township, Bloomfield Township, and Washington Township. In addition, the Village of Russells Point, the Village of Lakeview, State Senator Rob McColley and State Representatives Susan Manchester, Timothy Barhorst, Ty Mathews and Jon Cross (previous) all filed letters in opposition.
In its report, the OPSB stated, “Staff notes that the governmental agencies and representatives mentioned above are local officials responsible for representing and serving their respective communities. These responsibilities include preserving the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens within their respective communities. The strong opposition to the project that is documented by the county, all five impacted townships, and the impacted village is especially noteworthy and compelling.”
The OPSB concluded that “opposition to the project has been long-standing and unwavering, which is a strong measure of the local opposition to the project.” As a result, the OPSB staff recommended that the “Board deny the Applicant’s request for a certificate of environmental capability and public need.”
Bud Christman, also of the Indian Lake Advocacy Group stated, “Our community appreciates the OPSB recognizing what we have maintained all along, that there is overwhelming government and citizen opposition to the project because of the uniqueness of Indian Lake. We look forward to continuing to make our voices heard at the public hearing.”
In his statement released to the Examiner, Herling said the action taken by the opposition group “is an aggressive assault on private property rights.”
“Unfortunately, the opposition group, which represents a vocal minority and has intentionally spread misinformation, has aggressively attempted to box local officials into a corner, silence supporters, and bully local business owners.
“Ultimately though, the decision lies in the hands of the Ohio Power Siting Board, and we hope and believe they will acknowledge the realities of the need for more energy on the grid, the project’s benefits, and the support from Ohio residents for common sense, best-in-class development. It is critical to balance local concerns with broader state-wide needs – and to make sure those concerns are valid.”