LaSalle County soil-and-water official reviews LISA scoring as members raise concerns about state solar siting law

Vicki Heath, with the LaSalle County Soil and Water, told the End Use Committee on March 5 that the county—s Land Evaluation and Site Assessment, known as LISA, combines a soils-based land-evaluation score (0–100) prepared by the Natural Resources Conservation Service with a site-assessment score (0–200) the county assigns to yield a 0–300 total used to guide conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses.

The LISA is "an impartial system that helps determine the value for ag in the county," Heath said. She walked committee members through the scoring method using a 29-acre example near the Walmart in Ottawa: soils alone scored 97 of 100, the site assessment scored 85 of 200, and the combined total was 182 of 300.

Committee members asked whether the county should change LISA criteria given an Illinois law they said limits counties— ability to deny solar projects. "Going from my recollection of the recent Illinois solar act ... it said something to the effect that LISA's scores cannot be taken into consideration," Committee member Dave Torres said. Heath replied that the scores themselves "are still the score of that physical property," but she said…