McHenry County Sued After Rejecting Two Proposed Solar Farms

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — McHenry County’s Board of Commissioners is being sued after it denied permits for two solar farms — Pebble Solar near McHenry and Water Locust near Johnsburg — as part of a December vote that rejected four proposed solar projects, with the developer asking a court to overturn the denials and compel permit approvals.

The suit argues both projects complied with county ordinances and that the board acted with “arbitrary or capricious” reasoning, including giving too much weight to public opposition and imposing standards stricter than state law allows, Shaw Local is reporting.

County officials have said they feel constrained by state solar siting law, which limits local regulation, and declined to comment on the pending litigation.