Etna Township trustees, residents ask Licking County commissioners to ban large solar farms

Solar farm production is ramping up in Ohio, but Licking County could potentially prohibit large-scale solar arrays from setting up in the county's southwestern corner.

The Licking County Commissioners held a hearing Tuesday night on whether to prohibit utility-scale solar farms within Etna Township. The commissioners, who will vote on the matter in the coming weeks, have the authority to declare a township, or even the entire county, an exclusionary zone for large solar fields, which are defined as producing 50 megawatts or more. Smaller solar fields can be subjected to local zoning. Etna has already prohibited community-scale solar farms, which are between 5-50 megawatts, when it updated its zoning code in December.

In January, the Etna trustees requested the commissioners bar utility-scale solar farms within the township. The township trustees previously explored the matter last year but didn't pass the resolution needed to make the request of the commissioners.

Etna Township Trustees Mark Evans and Gary Burkholder, as well as the residents who spoke, said there are better uses for Etna's land than solar fields, especially as Licking County continues to grow.

Etna resident Steve Holloway said he's had solar panels at his home for nearly a decade, but large-scale solar fields don't make sense for Etna. He said the township has been inundated with warehouses because U.S. 40 and Interstate 70 run through the township, and the township doesn't have much space left for another large land user.

"We don't have a whole lot left, and bringing in the solar panel farm is like bringing in a 500-acre warehouse. It just doesn't fit, and it's about the best use of property in our township and how we use it. Right now we need retail. We need small businesses. That's what we're really looking for now."

Judy Cafmeyer, a longtime Etna resident who has pushed for an exclusionary zone for nearly two years, raised numerous concerns about solar farms, including the loss of farmland and the long-term environmental impacts, especially if panels are damaged during storms and tornadoes like the ones that recently ripped through central Ohio.

"We have enough things going on in Etna township; large solar institutions are not needed," she said.

While nine people spoke — all in favor of prohibiting solar farms — only Holloway and Cafmeyer, as well as Evans and Burkholder, were township residents.

Other Licking County residents from Pataskala, Newark, and Licking Township said they don't want to see solar fields because of the loss of farmland, loss of wildlife habitats, effectiveness of solar panels in Ohio, long-term impact to the soil and more.

Commissioner Tim Bubb said that as the county had more discussions about solar farms over the past year, the commissioners also heard the counterpoint about private property rights. Land is the biggest asset for a farmer and people have the legal right to do as they please with their land, he said.

Evans said government has to balance private property rights and organization of the township land uses to limit negative effects on other residents.

"I don't think a farmer alone has those consequences because I, as a property owner, could fit three tiny homes as accessory dwelling units in the backyard and make quite a bit of money. But zoning prevents that because of the quality of life," he said. "I think everybody's within those constraints, and we have to live by them."

Because not many Etna residents attended or spoke at Tuesday's hearing, Bubb said other residents — whether they are passionate one way or the other — can call, email or write letters in the coming weeks to ensure their voices are heard.

Commissioner Duane Flowers said it will likely be a few weeks before commissioners vote on the matter.

If approved, Etna Township wouldn't be the first to ban solar farms

Etna's request for a prohibition on solar farms is not the first to come before the commissioners. Last year Liberty Township asked for a ban, with residents and township trustees saying the solar panel developments ruin the scenic landscape, take away farmland, decrease property values and are contrary to what residents want in their township. The commissioners approved their request in November.

Liberty Township Trustee Bill Bogantz said during Tuesday's hearing that as his township updates its comprehensive plan, residents asked what could be done to keep solar fields out of Liberty Township. Bogantz said he could tell residents the commissioners already took care of that.

In an interview after the meeting, commissioners said St. Albans and Licking townships have also requested to become exclusionary zones. Hearings for those requests have yet to be scheduled, but Flowers said they will be scheduled soon.

After having four townships come forward, Bubb said the county needs to look at exclusionary zones more comprehensively. One way is to reach out to each township to see if they are interested, so the county doesn't have to consider the requests one by one.

"Let's get a consensus. What if there are five or six townships that want a consideration? Let's do it once and have one consideration," he said.

The Ohio Power Siting Board, which is responsible for approving new sources of power in the state, has approved two solar farms: a 108-megawatt solar field on 512 acres of Harrison Township farmland, which is on hold and not under construction, and another 350-megawatt solar project on 1,880 acres scattered throughout a 2,630-acre area in Hartford and Bennington townships that is also on hold pending a court appeal.

Statewide, about 50 such projects in development or recently completed, including a Madison County project covering 6,050 acres that the state approved March 21.

mdevito@gannett.com

740-607-2175

Twitter: @MariaDeVito13

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Etna Township trustees, residents ask county to ban large solar farms