Can a group produce an excessive amount of renewable vitality? The leaders of St. Joe County will reply that query Tuesday evening.
In 2020 St. Joseph County, trying to appeal to new photo voltaic vitality suppliers, carried out a photo voltaic farm ordinance that rolled out the pink carpet. This permits new photo voltaic vitality techniques to be put in on any land that’s already zoned for agriculture.
Four years later, there was a little bit of a backlash. It has come to a head close to North Liberty, the place Houston-based Hexagon Energy, which doesn’t want particular zoning approval, is quietly negotiating with property homeowners to lease area for panels.
Since the 2020 ordinance took impact, American Electric Power has constructed a photo voltaic farm in Granger, and Lightsource BP is constructing the Honeysuckle photo voltaic mission east of New Carlisle. Lightsource can even promote that vitality to AEP.
Opponents of the North Liberty mission say the panels would disrupt the realm’s rural really feel.
Tuesday evening the council plans a remaining vote on a invoice that might require photo voltaic vitality techniques to acquire a particular use zoning allow. That features a public course of the place neighbors are allowed to talk. The new ordinance, if handed, would have an effect on the North Liberty mission as a result of it has but to acquire constructing permits.
Property homeowners, together with struggling farmers, say the invoice would infringe on their property rights. They need the suitable to hire their land to whomever they select.
