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Westmoreland adopts first solar-energy siting policy, sets setbacks, buffers and decommissioning rules
Summary
The board adopted a county solar policy to guide large-scale projects, specifying setbacks from roads and homes, screening requirements, environmental protections and decommissioning bonds; the policy is advisory but may inform future ordinances.
The Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors on May 12 adopted a county solar-energy policy intended to guide the siting and review of large-scale solar facilities, setting distance standards, screening and vegetative-buffer requirements, environmental protections, decommissioning plans and bonding expectations.
The draft policy applies to utility-scale projects generally defined as sites of 5 megawatts or more or projects occupying 50 acres or greater. Key location and size recommendations in the adopted policy include minimum distances from certain features: 1,000 feet from primary roads; 500 feet from secondary roads; 1,000 feet from historic sites listed at the local, state or national level; 250 feet from nonconsenting property lines; and 1,000 feet from nonparticipating residential dwellings. The policy also proposes a maximum single-facility size of 100 acres.
Environmental and visual standards The policy favors siting on marginal soils as defined by USDA maps and discourages siting on floodplains, wetlands or steep slopes. It requires…
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