NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The consensus of the Board of County Commissioners given to Public Works Director Don Brittain at Wednesday's meeting regarding the county planning commission's solar regulations process is that large scale commercial solar should be completely off the table anywhere in Reno County and they may decide to make that statutorily clear at a later point.
Small scale commercial solar, like the proposal from Ark Valley Electric for around 10 acres to serve its rural electric customers, needs additional study to see if it will have a negative effect on water quality and erosion in the county, but that's the size of project that might theoretically be allowed, if objections can be overcome.
Private solar for individual landowners, even at the scale of the small scale commercial projects, like might be needed for a large dairy operation or the like, needs continued scrutiny by the planning commission and those regulations need to come before county commissioners, with clear direction that the less that they can regulate private solar, the better, in the county commissioners opinion.
The commissioners stopped just short of extending the moratorium that is currently in effect through the end of the year, though enough questions were raised that they understand they won't be approving any projects for a while, at least.
The Planning Commission's next meeting to take up this direction is scheduled for Dec. 21 at 4:30 p.m. at the Public Works building at 600 Scott Boulevard in South Hutchinson.
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