Meeker County Board approves alternative energy moratorium 

Meeker County commissioners emphatically told a packed board room last week they are not against solar or wind energy.

But they still voted 4-1 to “pump the brakes” on future alternative energy development in the county, approving a one-year moratorium on solar and wind energy systems following a public hearing Feb. 6. The goal, Commissioner Steve Schmitt said, is to give the county’s planning department time to review potential conflicts and questions such developments might create and to consider updates to the county’s zoning ordinance as it relates to solar and wind energy systems.

“A moratorium does not automatically equal more restrictions,” Schmitt said. “We need to look into this. Do we know if there’s any public health hazards or not? We really don’t know because we don’t, we can’t comprehend from where we sit right now. The size and scope and the magnitude of this project and the impact it’s going to have on the agricultural setup and makeup our county. That doesn’t mean we’re going to be able to stop every last bit of it. And that’s not our intent. Our intent (with the) moratorium is digging into it again with our neighbors.”

The moratorium comes in response to Xcel Energy’s proposed transmission line that will run from Lyon County to Becker, following a route through portions of Meeker County.

The proposed moratorium mentions an “emergency situation” that demands “a temporary emergency moratorium” to “protect public health, safety, and general welfare until public hearings can be conducted on a long-term ordinance.”

A moratorium would not mean wind and solar energy developments would forever be banned in the county, Commissioner Paul M. Johnson said. It would just give the Planning and Zoning office, the Meeker County Planning Commission and the County Board time to consider whether changes in the ordinance were necessary.

“Do I want to see a moratorium that lasts an indefinite period of time? Absolutely not,” Johnson said. “I would like to see our planning and zoning (office), who from what I understand had done considerable work on this already (study it). It could be a very short moratorium. So I think we need to pump the brakes and take a look at this and make sure that what we do as a board protects all of Meeker County citizens, doesn’t prohibit, protects, because I believe that’s what we’re here for.”

Part of the moratorium resolution approved by the board reads that “… the Office of Planning and Zoning and Meeker County Planning Commission are under great development pressure with applications and inquiries related to Large Solar Energy Systems and Wind Energy Conversion Systems …”

Jason Edworthy, director of Community and Indigenous Affairs for Blue Earth Renewables, told the board his company is “deeply concerned about the potential for a moratorium on wind development in Meeker County.” Blue Earth Renewables partnered with county residents on the Adams and Danielson wind farms, both of which are 20 megawatt farms built in 2011, which at the time were among the largest community-based wind farms in Minnesota, with an investment of about $42 million.

He said new wind projects have had a positive impact on the county, including generating $130,000 to $140,000 in annual tax revenue for the county.

Commissioner Julie Bredeson, who spoke strongly against the moratorium at two previous board meeting, continued her criticism of it following the public hearing. The moratorium serves to keep landowners from doing what they want with their property, she said, adding that she found the wording of the resolution objectionable.

“This attempt to justify the moratorium to put a stop on wind and solar requests from property owners, to stop businesses from coming in to our county for a period of time, based on the claim that solar and wind pose a threat to public health and safety,” Bredeson said. “To me the wording of that document is concerning. It mentions seven … the word ‘emergency’. It mentions seven times a threat to public health and safety. I serve on the Meeker County Public Health Board. We just met on Wednesday. I asked the board if there has ever been a concern in regard to solar or wind that has come before the board and they all looked at me in shock and said never not once has a solar or wind issue come before the Meeker County Public Health Board.”

Those who want to “pump the brakes” attempt to justify the action in the moratorium by saying “… the office of zoning is under great pressure with applications for solar and wind,” she said, when in fact, the office received just two applications for solar in all of 2023. I feel the attempt to justify the moratorium on that grounds is exaggerated. I fear that the real reason for this moratorium is to place more restrictions on what a property owner can do with their property and to put controls on what businesses can and cannot do in Meeker County.”

In the end, Bredeson was the only commissioner who sought to reject the moratorium, as board Chairman Danny Schiefelbein and Commissioner Beth Oberg joined Schmitt and Johnson in approving the resolution.