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Commissioners approve Comstock Metals’ temporary outdoor storage site for end‑of‑life solar panels with bonding and decommissioning conditions
Summary
The board approved a conditional use permit for storage of end‑of‑life photovoltaic panels in Silver Springs, tied to a separate recycling permit at a nearby site and requiring a surety bond if inventory exceeds a three‑month threshold (25,000 tons).
The Lyon County Board of Commissioners on June 5 approved a conditional use permit allowing Comstock Metals Corporation to store end‑of‑life photovoltaic (PV) panels at an 800 Lake Avenue parcel in Silver Springs, contingent on the continued operation of an on‑site recycling facility and several new conditions addressing public safety, screening and financial assurance.
Senior Planner Louis Carriola told commissioners the storage parcel is linked to an existing, approved recycling operation at 600 Lake Avenue. He said federal and state rules treat retired PV panels as “universal waste” for transport and recycling purposes and that separate state approvals and a local fire‑district review would govern technical aspects of storage and processing. Carriola noted that federal rules require a separation between the recycling processing area and the temporary storage area, which is why Comstock sought a separate parcel for stockpiles.
Comstock Metals president Gerald (Bridal) DeGasperis said the company has certified a recycling process that can divert glass, aluminum, silver‑rich tailings and other materials from landfills. He said the business already operates a smaller facility and expects to scale up environmentally safe recycling operations. DeGasperis and the company’s team described their process as a “100% landfill solution” and said recovered metals and glass have mature markets.
Public commenters and several commissioners raised bonding concerns: what happens if a storage site accumulates material and the company ceases operations. County staff worked with the applicant and the planning director to craft a condition requiring a surety bond to cover cleanup of the storage area if storage exceeds a three‑month supply. Staff, applicants and Comstock agreed on a threshold defined as 25,000 tons (approximately three months of expected throughput for the scaled operation). The bond must be satisfactory to the community development director and remain in effect for the lifetime of the recycling and storage operations.
Other conditions require connections to utilities and stormwater control, a solid fence on the site’s south boundary (not chain‑link with slats), limits on delivery hours to 7 a.m.–6 p.m., and a requirement to remove all materials within 12 months if the recycling operation at 600 Lake Avenue ceases. Planning staff reserved authority to request a sound study if noise limits are exceeded and said Central Lyon Fire District must review project designs for fire‑suppression requirements.
Carriola said planning commission recommended approval May 13 (6–0, one abstention). The board voted 5–0 to approve the CUP (PLZ2025‑011) with the added bond/decommissioning language and the other staff conditions.
Commissioners and the applicant agreed to continue coordination with NDEP, the fire district and county staff as project designs and permits proceed.
