Two Minnesota counties adopt moratoriums on renewable energy development - INFORUM

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Two Minnesota counties adopt moratoriums on renewable energy development

Meeker, Chippewa counties approve moratoriums after an expected high-voltage transmission line spurred local interest in solar and wind energy development

MONTEVIDEO— Growing interest in wind and solar energy development — which was spurred by Xcel Energy's intent to build a high-voltage transmission line in the region — has led two central Minnesota counties to adopt moratoriums on renewable energy projects.

The Meeker County and Chippewa County boards of commissioners at their meetings on last week adopted one-year moratoriums on the permitting or zoning of wind or solar energy projects to provide time to study ordinances.

The Chippewa County Commissioners adopted the moratorium on a unanimous vote Feb. 6 after hearing from one resident during a public hearing.

Kent Bosch, who farms in the county, told the commissioners that he is “nervous about the future” for the ability of farmers to turn their operations over to sons and daughters as solar projects take prime farmland out of production.

Absentee landowners are two and three generations removed from the farm, and increasingly willing to lease their lands for solar projects, he explained.

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The Meeker County Commissioners voted 4-1 to adopt the ordinance, with Julie Bredeson casting the no vote and Beth Oberg, Paul Johnson, Danny Schiefelbein and Steve Schmitt voting in favor.

Schmitt originally proposed the ordinance. He said it was important for the county to do its “due diligence” as developers are showing increasing interest. He emphasized that the ordinance allows the county to consider regulations that would protect the rights of residents who might be affected by projects.

“A moratorium doesn’t automatically mean no, not, never,” said Schmitt. Readers may view the meeting via the Meeker County MN channel on YouTube.com.

He pointed out that Xcel Energy’s plans to develop a 345-kilovolt power line from Lyon County to its Sherco site near Becker is driving the interest. Two routes are being considered for the line, and each of the potential routes cuts through Meeker County.

In contrast, one of the proposed routes would run through Chippewa County in the area near Granite Falls, while the other avoids the county altogether. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will ultimately decide which route is approved, provided the commission approves the power line project.

Chad Kipf, chair of the Harvey Township Board in Meeker County, was among the 14 who attended the hearing on the ordinance. He encouraged the board to “pump the brakes on big wind and solar companies coming through.”

Kipf said Xcel Energy is interested in possibly developing a 5,000-acre solar farm in the township, which could take a significant amount of farmland out of production, he pointed out.

But both farmers and representatives from wind and associated companies urged the Meeker County commissioners not to adopt the moratorium.

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Steve Bergo, a farmer who launched the Danielson Wind Farm in the western portion of the county, said the county already has setback and other ordinances limiting wind development opportunities. It’s “unrealistic” to believe the county will be overwhelmed by these projects, he stated in a letter to the commissioners.

Others involved with the Danielson and Adams Wind Farms, now operated by BluEarth Renewables of Calgary, Canada, said landowners benefit from the lease payments from the operations. The revenues help make these farms financially successful.

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Jason Edworthy, of BluEarth Renewables, pointed out that Meeker County receives $130,000 to $140,000 in tax revenues from the wind farms. Wind turbines take a minimal amount of farmland out of production, usually only 1,000 square feet per turbine, according to BluEarth Renewables.

Renewable energy means jobs in the county’s communities, Mark Volk, with Integrated Power Services, of Litchfield, told the commissioners. The company employs 100 to 120 people and maintaining and refurbishing wind generators is an important part of the business operations, he explained.

Amy Wilde, a former Meeker County commissioner, questioned the county’s premise that there is an “emergency” and threat to the public’s “health, safety and welfare” making a moratorium necessary. Wilde said she and her husband live next to a solar farm and have not experienced any issues whatsoever.

In Chippewa County, much of the discussion among the commissioners focused on solar development and the farmland being used for them. Many of the solar farms built to date take advantage of the state’s community solar garden law and are smaller-scale operations, one megawatt to five megawatts in size.

The commissioners noted that the county has no current authority over their development and that solar farm projects could be connected and take up a much larger area without any county approval.

“We’re not trying to make more rules to make it more difficult for people to do anything,” said Chippewa County Commissioner Matt Gilbertson. But he said the county currently lacks sufficient guidelines to oversee what is going to be a “big deal” as more projects come forward.

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In both counties, the responsibility for developing new ordinances for wind and solar projects will be undertaken by the respective planning commissions. State law allows up to one year to complete the task. In both counties, the commissioners said they anticipate new ordinances to be drafted in less time.

Meeker and Chippewa Counties are both located in south-central Minnesota, Northwest of the Twin Cities.

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