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Council opts out of new state solar‑farm siting rules, citing desire for local control

Saint Charles Parish Council · December 16, 2025

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Summary

The council adopted a resolution (File 2025‑0390) opting out of certain state-level siting and permitting requirements for large‑scale solar projects under the 2025 legislative act, with council members saying they prefer to retain and possibly strengthen local ordinance provisions, including decommissioning requirements and setbacks.

Council adopted File 2025‑0390, a resolution opting Saint Charles Parish out of state‑level siting rules for large‑scale solar facilities created by the 2025 legislative session (the act and LRS sections were read into the record). Council members, including Councilwoman O'Daniels and Councilman Atelier, said the parish's existing local solar ordinance (adopted in 2023) and additional local work to strengthen requirements — particularly decommissioning, setbacks, vegetation buffers and noise limits — provide reasons to retain local control over siting decisions.

Ateliers (speaker) compared Saint Charles' local standards with other parishes and recommended a legislative committee review to identify potential ordinance changes. Parish President Jewel said she supports the resolution and emphasized balancing clean‑energy development with protecting farmland and residents.

There were no public comments at the hearing and the resolution passed unanimously. Councilmembers asked staff to continue studying other parishes' ordinances for potential changes to Saint Charles' code.