A fight over solar rules in one Virginia county is turning into more than a local land-use debate. Botetourt County’s planning commission is scheduled to review a draft solar ordinance on September 14, and the dispute could carry consequences beyond the county.
In Virginia, rural localities that put too many obstacles in the way of utility-scale solar projects may eventually invite the state to take more control of those decisions, according to Cardinal News.
Here’s what to know
Under Virginia’s 2020 Clean Economy Act, the state’s two largest utilities must eliminate carbon emissions on a timetable: Dominion Energy by 2045 and Appalachian Power by 2050.
Those mandates have increased the push for renewable generation, with solar standing out because it is comparatively inexpensive and faster and easier to build…