Logan County residents express concerns over proposed solar panel energy center
The debate over renewable energy—specifically how it will affect the residents of Logan County—continued Sunday afternoon as around 200 people filled the Benjamin Logan High School cafeteria to hear from members of No Solar in Logan County (OH), a grassroots organization striving to block a proposed almost-4,000-acre solar panel energy center.
Kara Slonecker, whose family owns 12 acres outside of W. Mansfield (Perry Township), started the discussion with a firm stance. “There’s no way in h— this is gonna happen,” she said. “Not on my watch.”
Over the course of the next hour, Slonecker was joined by other landowners who offered research and personal stories in presenting their case. From the amount of energy the panels were estimated to provide (280 megawatts—enough to power 55,000 homes) to Invenergy’s financial investment ($4.4 million per year), the proposed Fountain Point Solar Energy Center would take up 3,860 acres over the townships of Bokescreek, Perry and Rushcreek.
Invenergy, the company that would build the energy center, started knocking on doors in Logan County looking for land to lease in 2019.
“I was approached about leasing land,” Jim Wolever, a landowner in Rushcreek Township, said. “Told them I was going to decline. I want to be able to wave at my neighbors and have them wave back with all their fingers extended.”
The speakers presented several concerns but focused especially on the expense and unreliability of solar—and wind—energy. And, of course, the almost 4,000 acres of Ohio farmland that would be covered in solar panels for the length of the lease contract—45 years.
For now, the men and women of No Solar in Logan County are in it for the long haul. “Our goal is to stall this project as long as possible,” Slonecker said. “They only have until April 12 to submit their application.”
Once the application is filed, however, it could be approved in as little as 150 days. Another W. Mansfield resident, Paul Schaller, whose land sits in Bokescreek Township, expressed the importance of getting involved before they’re too far into the process. Filings are rarely approved quickly, he added, but “Time isn’t our friend.”
Several Logan County residents, including Slonecker and Schaller, have submitted applications to be interveners—concerned citizens who can directly be part of negotiating the terms of the process. A chance, Slonecker said, to have a seat at the table and represent everyone who will be directly affected by the energy center.
Senate Bill 52—which allows commissioners to prohibit wind and/or solar development—passed the Ohio General Assembly on June 28, 2021, and went into effect on October 11. According to county commissioner Paul Benedetti, Fountain Point was already far enough into the process to, potentially, be grandfathered in. It’s one of many issues the county commissioners are dealing with as they research legal council to help them determine what the language in a resolution against solar energy should look like.
With so much information to consider and the potential risks, the people of Logan County are encouraged to do their own research and, especially, to attend trustee meetings in their townships.
“There was no way to touch on everything (like the effect on wildlife and hunting as well as health concerns),” Slonecker said with regard to Sunday’s presentation. “We will need another meeting.”