Champaign County panel delays decision on Donato Solar request to relax decommissioning-financial rules

The Champaign County Board Environment and Land Use Committee on Thursday reviewed a petition from Donato Solar asking the county to amend its zoning ordinance to remove a minimum bank‑rating requirement for letters of credit and to allow surety or reclamation bonds and escrow accounts as alternative forms of decommissioning financial assurance.

John Hall, staff member, gave the committee background on the ordinance’s origin and said the county’s wind‑farm rules were written to require an A‑rated bank letter of credit after consultations with utilities and developers. Hall said the rule now creates a problem for smaller, local solar developers working with local banks.

Michael Beam, vice president of finance for Gale Technology/Donato Solar, told the committee that the company had been able to secure letters of credit…