By Nick Reiher

The Will County Board approved seven solar farm proposals at its April 16 meeting, including six board members previously had denied.

In a long-awaited ruling, Will County Associate Judge Ben Braun on April 8 ruled the County Board must approve solar farm plans by Channahon McKinley Woods, RPIL Solar 13, Florence Renewables LLC, NL Gougar Solar 1, Black Road Solar 1 and Black Road Solar 2.

In response, Will County Board Speaker Joe VanDuyne, D-Wilmington, issued a statement saying Braun was following a law passed by the state in 2023 that, in effect, took away local oversight of solar farm applications from counties.

While some residents upset with Braun’s ruling called for the County Board to “stand up” for them, VanDuyne said in the statement that failure to comply with Braun’s order to approve the five solar plans could lead to the board, as a whole and individually, being held in contempt and subject to fines and/or imprisonment.

In Braun’s absence, Will County Associate Judge Victoria Breslan set a hearing for a motion for a Temporary Restraining Order on behalf of the two solar farm proposals in Shorewood and one in Channahon for April 17, the day after the County Board’s ordered vote.

During public comment at the board’s April 16 meeting, Channahon Mayor Missey Schumacher said she had talked to legislators in Springfield the day before. She said they told her they did not intend to take away control from counties by passing the 2023 laws.

“But the law has unintended consequences,” she told the board. A major example is the 160-acre solar farm plan the board must approve that is in the middle of town.

Shorewood Mayor Clarence Debold agreed with Schumacher and thanked the County Board members for denying the two solar farm plans near the village initially.

They were among those who addressed the board during 90 minutes of comments on the solar farm plans.

There were more pro-solar farm comments than had been seen at previous county meetings, and not only by labor, who commonly support such projects for their construction opportunities.

Several advocated for farmers’ rights to do what they want with their land, preferring to have a guaranteed source of income, rather than betting on the ever-fluctuating Ag markets.

Others said rising fuel costs and the imminent need for more power with the growing advent of solar farms requires the need for more “clean energy” alternatives.

Manhattan Farmer Dave Kestel told the board there is nothing clean about solar farms. He said farming near one leaves open the possibility of leeching into the adjacent soil. And should they remove the panels and supports someday, he added, it will take years before the land is farmable again.

“There’s nothing more green than corn and soybean,” he said.

The County Board approved the five solar farm applications, as Braun required. They remanded Earthrise Energy’s 6,100-acre Pride of the Prairie plan back to the Planning and Zoning Commission per a court order.

In a separate case on April 15, Breslan allowed a Temporary Restraining Order requested on behalf of 16 residents who believe they were denied due process by not being allowed cross-examination at county Planning and Zoning Commission hearings on the issue.

She set a status hearing for April 24.

The County Board was set to vote separately April 16 on Earthrise Energy’s other 2,400-acre Plum Valley solar farm plan.

But Board Member Judy Ogalla, R-Monee, objected to a last-minute request for amendments that would allow Earthrise to place some of the power lines above ground instead of burying them.

There was a move to remand the plan back to the Land Use Committee and possibly the Planning and Zoning Commission. But Land Use staff explained the above-ground installations would be around wetlands, instead of burying under those sites.

The County Board has reviewed solar farm proposals closely in the past several years. Earlier this year, Ogalla told a group that since solar projects began appearing in Will County in earnest, 84 applications have been submitted.

Of those, 17 were withdrawn, often after developers failed to secure state subsidies. The county board has approved 57 projects and denied 10.

Nick Reiher is Editor of Farmers Weekly Review. Freelance reporter Andrea Arens contributed to this story.

Although the 6,100-acre solar farm plan that would affect his area was put on temporary hold, Manhattan Township Supervisor Jim Walsh spoke at the board’s April 16 meeting, urging them to work with other municipalities, counties and the state to amend the state law to restore more local control regarding solar farms.