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County says survey results will guide zoning decision for wind and solar projects
Summary
At an August Crawford County Commission meeting, residents pressed the commission to decide whether to adopt zoning or lift a moratorium for utility-scale wind and solar projects; commissioners said they will wait for a consultant's survey results and then proceed with zoning committee and possible negotiations rather than an immediate vote.
A resident asked the Crawford County Commission on Aug. 2025 whether the county would make a near-term decision on permitting utility-scale wind and solar projects, pressing commissioners for a firm date. Commissioner (unnamed) said the commission will review survey results from a consultant on Sept. 19 and take those results to the zoning committee and the county's comprehensive-plan process before making a final decision.
The exchange centered on two decisions: whether to pursue zoning for the areas where projects have been proposed and whether to lift the county's moratorium on wind projects to allow negotiations with developers. Resident Tim Beetz asked, "At that point, are you willing to make a decision on this stuff?" and later warned, "If you want this project to go through, you need to either make a decision or just say it ain't gonna happen and be done with it." Commissioner (unnamed) replied that the Sept. 19 meeting will provide the survey results and that zoning and the comprehensive-plan update will influence next steps.
Commissioners described a two-track path depending on survey results. If the survey indicates constituent support for zoning, the commission said it would move forward with zoning language and rules; if the survey shows opposition to countywide zoning, commissioners said they would not pursue zoning across the county and would instead consider negotiating protections with developers for areas where projects might proceed. Commissioner (unnamed) said, "If we're not going to zone that portion of the county ... the best protections we're going to get is when we negotiate with the company." The commission noted that any negotiated terms would be subject to public discussion and not conducted entirely in closed session.
Commissioners and residents also discussed a developer timeline tied to grid interconnection deadlines. A resident said developers need to finalize contracts by December to retain their ability to connect to the grid and that missing that deadline would end their projects'ability to interconnect. Commissioners said that scheduling and interconnection deadlines are part of developers's concerns but that the county must follow its process.
No formal motion or vote to change zoning or the moratorium occurred at the meeting. Commissioners said the Sept. 19 consultant presentation and subsequent zoning-committee review will shape any formal action.
The discussion included repeated requests from residents for clarity on deadlines, how many surveys were submitted after the advertised cutoff, and whether additional survey responses would be accepted; commissioners said the consultant is compiling written comments and the county will report back when it has definitive totals. The commission did schedule follow-up steps: review survey results at the consultant's Sept. 19 presentation and consider next steps in zoning committee and comprehensive-plan updates.
Background: The county is in the process of updating its comprehensive plan and considering zoning tools that would set rules for utility-scale renewable energy projects. Commissioners emphasized they will not shortcut public processes and said any negotiations or agreements would occur with a public record of the discussions.
