It is no secret that Ohio is experiencing power shortages and continued strain on our electric grid. Brownouts and blackouts are becoming more common, and Americans are facing the hardship of not knowing if their power will stay on or unexpectedly go off. At the same time, farmers are being told they cannot do what they want with the land they own.
In December, 2022, the Ottawa County Commissioners voted to approve rural areas of the county as off-limits for utility-scale solar and wind projects. Under Ohio Senate Bill 52, townships and counties have the authority to reject or regulate new large-scale commercial renewable energy projects. This gives county commissioners the power to tell landowners what they can and cannot do with their land.
Ottawa County is just one of around two dozen counties in Ohio that have placed a partial ban on large renewable energy projects since the law took effect. Fulton County is no stranger to restrictions on renewable energy. The county commissioners have declared that all county areas outside of municipalities are restricted zones for large-scale wind and solar projects. This places a direct limitation on landowners who want to develop renewable energy projects on their property…