Residents press Crawford County Commission for open process on EDF wind and solar proposals

Dozens of Crawford County residents urged the Crawford County Commission on an unspecified September day in 2025 to keep discussions about proposed EDF wind and solar projects open and public rather than take private meetings. The commissioners had scheduled Joshua “Josh” Alvin to present results of a county comprehensive-plan survey on Sept. 19; residents said they want that presentation and any subsequent public meeting to be the venue for project discussions. Becky Willard, a resident who addressed the panel during public comment, asked directly, “Have any of you been in a meeting with EDF, the turbines, the solar, any of them in a private meeting, but we didn't get to see it?” Why it matters: speakers said the projects could affect many landowners and that private conversations with company representatives would undercut public trust in the planning process. Several residents said landowners have reported pressure to sign leases and that some signings may have occurred without full understanding of terms. During the meeting, Commissioner Jim (last name not given) and other commissioners described past one-on-one or small-group conversations they had held with company representatives or landowners to answer questions about the county’s planning process. Jim said those meetings were intended to be informational: “They’re more than welcome to come to a commission meeting and present their information along with their agreements,” and he said he had emailed EDF on July 15 inviting them to present at a public meeting and had not heard back. He added, “we're not gonna lift anything until we're done with our comprehensive plan.” Residents reported receiving messages they interpreted as deadlines from company representatives. Willard read that a contact had told them “if we didn't lift the moratorium, that it was gonna affect their the outcome of their project,” and told commissioners the contact had given a deadline that she said fell on the day of the meeting. Commission discussion focused on two procedural items: (1) whether surveys returned after an August 22 cutoff should be counted in the comprehensive-plan tabulation, and (2) scheduling an open public meeting after Sept. 19 so residents can hear Alvin’s presentation and ask questions. Commissioners instructed county counsel to contact Josh Alvin and report back by the next business meeting on whether late survey responses can be compiled before or included in the Sept. 19 presentation. Residents also described a recurring pattern in which some landowners told meeting speakers they felt pressured to sign leases because neighboring properties had signed. Jeff Murphy, a Crawford County resident, said, “How's the public supposed to give input?” in criticizing any private outreach by a company that does not appear on a public agenda. Commissioners and residents agreed that planning and zoning would play the primary regulatory role should wind or solar projects be proposed, and several speakers asked that planning and zoning have time for multiple public hearings before any permit or conditional-use approvals. The commission said they would wait until Alvin’s Sept. 19 presentation and then consider scheduling an evening public meeting for people to ask questions and comment. No formal action to lift or alter any moratorium or zoning was taken at the meeting; the commission directed counsel to clarify the treatment of late survey responses and to report back to the board. The commissioners also confirmed that members of the public who attend the Sept. 19 presentation would be allowed to ask questions during or after Alvin’s presentation if space and logistics permit. The commission set no new deadlines for project proponents and did not adopt any regulatory changes at the meeting; commissioners repeatedly emphasized that planning and zoning would be the venue for regulatory work and that the comprehensive-plan process remains the guiding framework for next steps.