Plans for a massive solar farm in Will County once again got a no vote from the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
The commission’s 4-1 vote against Earthrise Energy’s plans for a 6,100 acre, 600-megawatt solar farm near Manhattan now goes to the Will County Board’s executive committee for review Thursday. The board is expected to vote on the project May 21.
Tuesday’s court-ordered hearing was Earthrise’s second round of hearings for its Pride of the Prairie project.
“I’m very pleased that they listened to the evidence and changed their vote to be more in opposition,” said Steven Becker, an attorney representing about 16 homeowners who live near the proposed solar farm.
Despite the commission’s continued stance against the project, Earthrise Energy officials remained optimistic. Last month, Will County Board members approved Earthrise Energy’s plans for a 2,400-acre solar farm near Crete.
“We appreciate the opportunity to respond to Mr. Becker’s questions regarding our Pride of the Prairie application and expect that the project will now be able to proceed to a vote of the County Board,” Rob Kalbouss, Earthrise Energy’s director of development, said in a written statement after Tuesday’s hearing. “We are highly confident in the strength of our application and the many benefits that the project will deliver for Will County.”
Last month, Will County Judge Victoria Breslan ordered the Planning and Zoning Commission hold another hearing on the Pride of the Prairie proposal, finding Becker was not provided the opportunity to cross-examine Earthrise executives or present evidence on behalf of his clients during the previous public hearings. Her April 15 ruling came one day before the County Board was expected to vote on the project.
In their April vote, planning and zoning commissioners voted 4-2 against the project. Commissioner John Kiefner on Tuesday switched his previous yes vote to no. Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell, who previously voted no, was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
Becker reiterated his argument Tuesday that Earthrise’s application was incomplete and should be denied.
He said it lacked information on the number of wetlands spread across the 96 parcels in Milton, Green Garden and Manhattan townships it intends to use. He also argued that Earthrise did not provide sufficient information on the 1 million solar panels it plans to install and that the 300,000 galvanized steel posts that would support the solar panels posed an environmental risk.
“Every one of these properties is unsuitable for this particular project,” Becker said of the 96 parcels included in Earthrise’s proposal.
During questioning, Becker also revealed that leases or contracts for the properties in question include a clause that Earthrise could use the properties for battery storage. When asked about project costs, Kalbouss would only say costs could be more or less than $1 billion. He declined to answer more specifically, saying that the company has not finalized project costs.
During a March 18 hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission, Kalbouss said Earthrise was spending more than half a billion dollars for its 240-megawatt solar farm near Crete. Assuming the two projects have similar costs, Pride of the Prairie could cost $1.2 billion.
Earthrise rejected Becker’s arguments that the application does not properly identify wetlands that have been farmed. Kalbouss said the company relied on the National Wetlands Inventory provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The company also performed on-site inspections to identify farmed wetlands, Kalbouss said, adding the company has met the county’s requirements for identifying wetlands.Kalbouss also noted that while the County Board is voting on a preliminary plan, the company must still comply with a final review of its plans by the county’s land use department before any building permits are secured. He added the company has no plans to include battery storage facilities, but if it ever did, those plans would have to be approved by the county.
Becker and Earthrise representatives will be in court again Thursday for a status hearing. Becker said he plans to challenge Earthrise’s presentation of a May 8 memo at Tuesday’s hearing, arguing that Earthrise was not allowed to present new evidence during that hearing.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelancer.
