Commissioners flag major issues with proposed Milo Enterprises solar park in Mahoning Township

The Carbon County Planning Commission recommended that Mahoning Township and the project applicant address multiple major deficiencies before the proposed Milo Enterprises commercial solar energy generation facility can proceed.

County staff told the commission the applicant proposes a commercial solar park with roughly 5,400 ground-mounted panels disturbing about 10.08 acres of earth and connecting to an existing PPL pole, and that Mahoning Township had granted conditional-use approval on Feb. 12, 2025. The county review identified numerous missing or incomplete submissions — including bearings and distances on the property survey, a required stormwater management and soil-erosion control plan, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting documentation, complete stormwater calculations, a drainage plan, an environmental-impact statement if required by local ordinance, and evidence that firefighting water access and fire apparatus roads satisfy township standards.

"As noted on the plan, flood plains exist within the site as determined by FEMA flood insurance mapping," county planning staff said, adding that portions of the proposed improvements are within the 100-year floodplain and that the township ordinance requires soil-erosion and stormwater approvals from the Carbon County Conservation District and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) before final approval.

Staff also flagged safety and operations concerns: lack of internal emergency access routes between arrays, no demonstrated water source for firefighting, missing transformer specifications, and uncertainty about whether local bridges and roadways — including a single-lane stone bridge on Ashtown Road near Burrell Memorial Park — can accommodate heavy construction traffic during build-out. The commission noted the applicant had testified to the Mahoning Township supervisors that the panel count could be higher — "approximately 5,800 to 5,900 solar panels" — and recommended the developer confirm the final equipment counts.

Given the number and scale of the outstanding items, county staff recommended the planning commission not recommend plan approval to the county commissioners at this time and instead provide detailed review comments to Mahoning Township and the applicant. The commission voted to send Ivan's review comments to the township for further response and circulation.

Commission staff listed required agency approvals the applicant must secure prior to final plan recording: Carbon County Conservation District acceptance of a soil-erosion and sedimentation-control plan; PA DEP NPDES permitting for construction stormwater discharges (because proposed disturbance exceeds one acre); and any other applicable state and county permits. The county review also recommended a transportation plan to identify roads and bridges for construction access, and financial assurance (bonding) for any needed road repairs resulting from construction traffic.

The planning commission's recommendation was procedural — to forward comments and require the applicant to address the identified deficiencies — not an approval of a final land-development plan.