Pondering the future of renewable energy in Lorain County

The Lorain County commissioners need to take a careful approach in their upcoming meeting on how to regulate renewable-energy projects in the county's unincorporated areas. A state law passed in 2021 gives them broad powers not only to regulate, but essentially to ban wind and solar projects. It's a power that state law doesn't give county governments when it comes to fossil-fuel industries, such as coal, gas and oil. (Commissioner Dave Moore told us he would be open to similar conversations about fracking, although we don't believe state law gives counties the authority to similarly regulate that practice.) Fortunately, the commissioners don't appear inclined to ban wind and solar. Moore and Commissioner Jeff Riddell, both Republicans, told us Thursday that their goal was to create a framework similar to zoning regulations so the county was prepared if large-scale wind and solar projects were proposed. "I don't want it to be a debate about windmills," Moore said of a meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. on Sept. 5. "I just want controlled growth." That sounds reasonable, so long as whatever rules the commissioners ultimately decide to put in place are reasonable. There are ways effectively to ban something without calling it a ban. If the commissioners do go too far, they could end up blocking a growth industry that could bring both jobs and tax revenue to the county. (Opponents of overly broad restrictions would be able to challenge them at the ballot box, but who knows how successful such an effort would be.) Brownhelm Township resident Brian Baker recognized the potential for jobs when he questioned the commissioners about their plans at a meeting Tuesday. He opposed an outright ban on renewable-energy projects. He also said he hoped jobs that come with renewable-energy projects would go to local union workers, something Moore agreed with. The new state law also allows the county commissioners and township trustees to make temporary appointments to the Ohio Power Siting Board as ad-hoc members when a renewable-energy project is under consideration in their jurisdictions. The siting board has the power to approve or reject energy projects. Before the change, Moore said, the final decision rested entirely with the state, leaving local communities on the sidelines. The goal, he told us, is to be proactive now rather than reactive if a renewable-energy project comes along. Riddell told us he suspected wind turbines, which can be hundreds of feet tall, would receive the biggest pushback if they were proposed. "Solar farms don't really bother anybody much, but the windmills are big things," he said. Indeed, a birding group and neighbors of a proposed wind farm in Erie and Huron counties challenged approval of that project all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the wind farm last week. Both the state siting board and local governments had supported the project. We can understand why someone might not want gargantuan windmills nearby. However, as we've noted before, there are lots of other things people don't want built near their homes, ranging from wastewater treatment plants and landfills to heavy industrial projects and cellphone towers. Yet all of those things, like it or not, are necessary in the modern world. They have to go someplace. Even more mundane development projects can lead to pushback from potential neighbors. Some Vermilion residents were so opposed to building a large distribution center on Baumhart Road near state Route 2 that they tried and failed to force the proposal onto the ballot. The project ultimately fell through anyway, as we reported Thursday, but Vermilion Mayor Jim Forthofer said the city was continuing to pursue other development projects for the area. Had the distribution-center project gone forward there were likely things that could have been done to alleviate neighbors' concerns, including building hills and planting trees to minimize sound and light. Similar measures, including making certain that there are buffers of land between the windmills and neighbors, could make windmill projects if not welcome, at least more palatable for neighbors. Likewise, concerns about the impact of renewable-energy projects on the environment, including birds, should be considered. However, they must be balanced against both the economic impact and the wider benefits of renewable energy, which includes combating climate change. Having a broad conversation about renewable energy's future in the county is fine, but in the end each project should stand or fall on its own merits.