The staff of the Ohio Power Siting Board staff has recommended that the Board reject Stark Solar’s application to build a commercial solar facility on 860 acres of land in Washington Township. The recommendation, made on July 19, is not binding on the board.
In its recommendation the rejection of Stark Solar’s application, the OPSB staff noted that local opposition to Stark Solar is strong. This played a major role in the staff’s recommendation that the project would not serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity.
The OPSB staff particularly highlighted the opposition of local government in its report. “Local governments in the project area opposing the proposed Stark Solar project include the Stark County Board of Commissioners and the Washington Township Trustees, stating the project does not serve the public interest.”
Stark County’s opposition to the decision was especially important in the staff’s decision. “The strong opposition to the project that is documented by both the county and the sole township is especially noteworthy and compelling,” wrote the staff. In large part, this was because of the local government’s role “in preserving the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens within their respective communities.”
The situation in Knox County is very different. The Knox County Board of Commissioners has remained neutral on the application of Frasier Solar to build a commercial solar facility. Proponents of Frasier Solar have used the commissioners’ neutrality to bolster their support of Frasier Solar in communications to the OPSB.
In a letter to the OPSB supporting Frasier Solar, Ohio state Rep. Bill Seitz wrote, “Additionally, local government bodies have recognized Frasier Solar’s grandfathered status and have remained neutral about the project, and the Knox County Commissioners approved a PILOT for Frasier Solar in August of 2023.”
The neutrality of Knox County commissioners Bill Pursel, Thom Collier, and Teresa Bemiller was also influential in the decision by the OPSB staff to recommend that Frasier Solar’s application to build a commercial solar facility be approved.
In its section on SB 52, the staff wrote, “While the project is not expressly subject to the county commissioner review process created by SB 52, Staff notes that the Knox County Commissioners have not acted to affirmatively support or oppose the project.”
The Knox County Board of Commissioners neutrality on solar projects extends beyond Frasier Solar. Of the 22 townships in Knox County, 18 of them “have passed resolutions asking the County Commissioners to make them off limits to future utility-scale solar developments,” according to Preserve Knox County Ohio. Yet to date, the commissioners have not passed a resolution restricting solar development despite the fact that that two of the commissioners previously told their constituents that they would do.
“We have asked [Knox County Prosecutor] Chip McConville to reach out to all of the townships,” Collier said when the commissioners were considering a resolution to prohibit commercial wind farms, but not solar. “Any township that wants their township to be in an exclusionary zone should forward their resolution to the commissioners no later than February. We will hold a public meeting and allow any township to be an exclusionary zone if that is the preference of their constituents.”
Stark County residents who oppose Stark Solar are gearing up for an August 5 OPSB public hearing to make sure their interests are presented to the board.
“The investigation is a formality that OPSB Staff does,” wrote Laura Schmucker on the Stark Free Solar group’s Facebook page. “It is only one part, although one part that provides a glimmer of hope. This does mean we should take advantage of August 5 Public Hearing with OPSB and voice our concerns—it is probably even more important now.”
