October 31, 2019
Ohio

Republic Wind legal hearing set for Monday

Vicki Johnson, Staff Writer | The Advertiser-Tribune | Oct 31, 2019 | www.advertiser-tribune.com

The legal hearing for the Republic Wind project is scheduled for Monday in Columbus.

The hearing – called an adjudicatory hearing – is to take place at 10 a.m. at the office of the Public Utilities Commission, Hearing Room 11-D, 180 E. Broad St., Columbus.

It is the formal process of collecting information to be considered by the Ohio Power Siting Board in making its final decision on whether to approve Apex Clean Energy’s request to build a commercial wind-generating facility. The proposed project would consist of up to 47 wind turbines in the Seneca County townships of Adams, Reed, Scipio and Thompson as well as Sandusky County’s York Township. The wind farm would have a total generating capacity of up to 200 megawatts.

The most recent timetable set by OPSB for the case required Republic Wind to have expert and factual testimony completed by Oct. 21. According to documents submitted to OPSB, 14 people testified on behalf of Republic Wind.

The deadline for testimony by intervenors was Monday, and eight people testified on behalf of local intervenors.

Seneca County Commissioner Mike Kerschner testified on behalf of the county commissioners, and Executive Director Sarah Betts testified on behalf of Seneca County Park District.

Tuesday, Republic Wind issued subpoenas for documents related to testimony from Betts and two other people who testified on behalf of the intervenors: Mark Shieldcastle, a staff member at Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Oak Harbor, and a retired wildlife biologist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, specializing in avian research; and Ira Sasowsky, a member of the board of directors and secretary of the Karst Waters Institute, and a professor of geoscience at the University of Akron.

Republic Wind also requested testimony from four airport-related people: John Stains, manager of airport programs for the Ohio Department of Transportation; David Sniffen, airport manager of Fostoria Metropolitan Airport; Bradley Newman, president of Tiffin Aire Inc. at Seneca County Airport; and David Wadsworth, manager of Sandusky County Regional Airport.

According to information provided by Apex Clean Energy, the expected start date of electric generation would 2021 if the project is approved, and would generate enough energy to power up to 62,400 homes.

Company information said local economic benefits over its 30-year life span would include $38.8 million in landowner payments, $36 million in school payments, $18 million in county and township payments, 100 local jobs during construction and 10 long-term local operations jobs.