Letters to the editor
OPINION: This article reflects the author's opinion, not tied to the publication
On June 20th, our Planning Commission, at the direction of 3 anti-solar Reno County Commissioners, voted 6 to 1 to schedule a hearing to ban commercial solar farms in the zoned area of Reno County.
We're now in a public comment period on the proposed ban, with a final public hearing and decision scheduled for July 29th, 2024.
After that, our 3 anti-solar County Commissioners plan to move to the unzoned areas, with their end goal being a total ban of commercial solar farms in Reno County.
It’s time for solar sensible people to step up and be heard!
If you support allowing commercial solar in Reno County, our Planning Commission wants to hear from you. Now! Visit FactualSolar.com to sign a petition and/or send an email asking our Commission to enact responsible, effective, and fair commercial solar farm regulations, instead of an indiscriminate solar farm ban.
Reno County faces many challenges. Aging infrastructure, population loss, economic decline, water levels, wildfires, etc. Solar farms are not a challenge, they are an opportunity.
As a society, we have stopped listening to experts. Emotions and politics seem to have taken precedence over facts. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Picture a Reno County that embraces renewable energy, with several wind farms and solar farms filling County coffers with 4 million dollars a year in PILOT payments and landowners reaping a similar amount, stimulating our economy. Local businesses could be partnering in a variety of ways. HCC could be involved in research and development. The possibilities are endless. The economic benefits are undeniable.
In my opinion, solar farm bans are…
Anti-fact
Solar farms present an incredibly low risk to the environment. Lower than agriculture. Much lower than fossil fuels. Solar farms are good neighbors.
Anti-farmer
Property rights matter. Solar leases help keep land in the family and support farming operations. Farmers should be free to use their land to produce, without unwarranted governmental interference.
Anti-taxpayer
Lacking compelling evidence, 3 anti-solar County Commissioners are willing to turn away millions of dollars in annual income and economic development. That affects all taxpayers.
Our County Commissioners are clinging to the past, while our economy, and the environment, change around them.
It’s time we embrace the future. It’s time for sensible energy voices to be heard. Visit FactualSolar.com, sign the petition, and let your voice be heard.
Casey Swarts
Hutchinson
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