Nick Bundren, a regional organizer for the Ohio Land and Liberty Coalition, told the Portage County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 7 that his group is visiting all 88 counties in Ohio this year to talk about renewable energy and “build conservative support for renewable energy across the state of Ohio.” The coalition’s presentation focused on a standard questionnaire about local experience with solar, wind and battery storage and on where commissioners see opportunities and objections locally.

Bundren asked the board to rate their personal familiarity with renewable energy and whether Portage County has encountered solar or wind projects. Commissioners said most projects under 50 megawatts have been handled by township governments, not the county. “That normally gets handled at the local level,” one commissioner said, adding that some townships have welcomed projects while others have imposed moratoriums or bans.

Bundren raised common concerns he has heard in other counties, including visual impact and end-of-life disposal of panels. A commissioner responded that recycling and turbine-recycling capacity has improved recently and that Ohio has manufacturing and recycling facilities that could address disposal questions.

The group discussed siting options including using brownfield sites, former mine land or decommissioned power-plant sites. County officials said Portage County has small brownfield parcels (often former gas stations) and some repurposed sites, and noted one site in Kent under consideration for housing once remediation is completed. Commissioners said larger, contiguous parcels for utility-scale solar are not common in the county.

Bundren said data centers and rising electricity demand are driving new conversations about local generation. Commissioners acknowledged the need for more generation and said utility-scale projects take time to develop, and that county authority is limited for projects under the 50-megawatt threshold unless the site is in unincorporated areas the county controls.

Bundren also asked whether renewable energy is a partisan issue; commissioners said it tends to be local and pragmatic, driven more by appearance, cost savings and site-specific concerns than by party affiliation.

No formal county action was taken during the briefing. Bundren left county staff contact information and zoning guidebooks for townships seeking information about renewable energy projects.