October 19, 2023
Ohio

Ban in place for solar, wind farms in all 18 local townships of Columbiana County

by: Gerry Ricciutti | Posted: Oct 18, 2023 | wkbn.com

There is now a ban on large solar and wind farm arrays in all 18 townships of Columbiana County.

County Commissioners approved bans on Wednesday for the last three townships not already covered. This means large energy arrays generating more than 50 megawatts are prohibited across the county. Commissioners say they approached local residents and officials to see how they felt about the prospect of having such projects close by.

“We did what they asked. We banned the wind and solar because Columbiana County is predominantly agriculture you know,” said Columbiana County Commissioner Tim Weigle. “And a lot of the farmers said they don’t want these wind and solar fields in their farmland.”

One project that started before the bans went into effect is still going forward, but commissioners took action Wednesday to reserve their right to file questions or objections on it with The Ohio Power Siting Board in Columbus.

“If there’s something comes up, we will, with the resolution we passed would actually allow our legal counsel to intervene on our behalf if there’s something we see that we don’t quite agree with,” said Weigle.

Commissioners said it could be two or three months before the Ohio Power Siting Board makes a decision on the project for Franklin Township, but before that takes place, a public hearing would be held locally to hear from residents.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2023/10/19/ban-in-place-for-solar-wind-farms-in-all-18-local-townships-of-columbiana-county/