Commission continues alternative-energy ordinance after public concerns about battery storage and firefighter safety

Pennington County held a public hearing on proposed amendments to its alternative-energy ordinance (Sec. 3-17) that would update rules for large-scale solar and associated equipment. Several public speakers raised safety concerns following a fire at the Wild Springs solar facility, especially the lack of battery-storage provisions and specialized firefighting training and equipment.

Eileen Peterson, who participated in the county's task force, urged the board to tighten setbacks, require escrowed decommissioning funds held in trust, and add battery-storage rules and notification requirements for changes of ownership. "We need to accept only escrow or trust accounts to make sure that money is really going to be there," she said.

Fire and emergency-response risks were a central theme. Former and volunteer firefighters told the board that local departments had not received specialized training or equipment to fight electrical or lithium-battery fires, and that equipment failures and tight panel spacing could create hazards for crews. "We owe them preparation, and we owe them protection," a fire service speaker said.

Planning staff and commissioners agreed the draft lacked provisions on battery storage and mitigation for responder safety. The board continued the ordinance to May 19, directing staff to add battery-storage language, fire-response protocols, and more explicit reclamation and bonding rules before bringing the draft back for further public review and a potential vote.

The board also noted the change in land-use mapping (comp plan) that reclassifies some areas as industrial, and commissioners asked staff to make sure setbacks and conditional-use processes line up with the comprehensive-plan change.