Developers, landowners and county debate lifting Crawford County solar moratorium

John Kopiak, a representative of Chester Power, urged Crawford County commissioners on May 9 to lift the county's moratorium on large-scale solar so his company and other developers can begin projects that would involve Pittsburg State University students and local farmland.

The request came during the commission's public-comment period as developers described planned investments and county residents and landowners pressed for clarity about taxes, school funding and project guarantees.

Why it matters: Commissioners are weighing a moratorium on utility-scale solar and wind while a consultant finalizes an updated comprehensive plan. Developers said delays risk moving private investment and utility contracts — and tax revenue tied to battery storage — to other counties.

Kopiak said the project would employ about 200 workers for roughly two years and bring “a substantial investment in the area,” and asked the commission to lift the moratorium so permitting and development can proceed. He said Chester Power is working with Pittsburg State University’s materials science program on research and student training at a farm site in the county.

Alyssa Rhodes said the taxable portion of a solar installation is driven largely by battery storage and site infrastructure because Kansas law provides a 10-year exemption for the solar panels themselves. “There is a 10-year exemption on the panels,” she said, adding that “the battery component … is not exempt,” and called the lack of exemption for batteries “a big deal.” Rhodes estimated the first-year benefit to one district could be about $1,700,000 based on projected property-value changes and current state school-aid formulas; she also referenced a current $977,000 state equalization payment to USD 246 that would be affected if local property values rise.

A landowner, identifying himself as Rekke Elniki, told commissioners he had discussed regional utility demand with Evergy and said Evergy plans large solar additions that will require tens of thousands of acres statewide. “They want to add 2,500 megawatts of solar energy … that would take approximately 15,000 acres of land,” he said, arguing Crawford County should move to attract projects.

A company speaker identified as Steve described contractual protections developers typically use: utility power-purchase agreements that commonly run 20 years, decommissioning bonds and the expectation that a buyer of a site would assume or improve existing bonds. “If we commit to a bond … the next company will be required to have a bond of exactly the same substance or better,” he said.

Commissioners and members of the public asked several procedural and substantive questions: whether cities inside the county are exempt from the county moratorium (yes, city permitting remains separate), how school-district shares are calculated (taxes are based on assessed value of taxable components), how the county will screen or validate responses to the comprehensive-plan survey (consultant tools can de-duplicate and segment responses by district), and whether utilities can use eminent-domain powers for solar (speakers said utilities can use eminent domain for transmission but not to acquire land for solar generation without KCC authority).

Speakers repeatedly urged prompt action on the comprehensive plan and the county’s wind-and-solar zoning so the community can move from moratorium to clear permitting standards. Rhodes and others said they are meeting with Pittsburg State University and other regional partners to pursue grants, training and complementary manufacturing.

The record: Commissioners scheduled a consultant update and promised to discuss details at a work session; several speakers said they would meet privately with county officials and the consultant to provide data. Several participants asked the county to consider decommissioning legislation reported to be pending at the state level and to require decommissioning bonds before construction.

Closing note: Commissioners said the comprehensive-plan consultant will attend a May 13 meeting to clarify survey response targets and next procedural steps; the commission did not lift the moratorium during the May 9 meeting.