Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Renewable Energy Permitting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board advances Commerce Street Solar approvals; county requires 100% decommissioning assurance at permit stage
Summary
Iroquois County committees approved Commerce Street Solar LLC’s decommissioning agreement and landscape plan and recommended the building permit be issued subject to those assurances; the county’s consultant said the developer must post 100% of decommissioning costs at the building-permit stage in the form of a letter of credit with a 3% annual adjustment.
Iroquois County planning and zoning committee members recommended on April 16 that the county board approve Commerce Street Solar LLC’s decommissioning agreement and landscape-management plan and that the county issue a building permit only after the applicant meets specified conditions.
County consultant and attorney Andy Kite told the committee the decommissioning agreement requires the developer to post a letter of credit equal to 100% of the estimated decommissioning cost before construction begins, a change that moves the financial-assurance milestone forward from the typical year 11–12 estimate to the building-permit stage. Kite added the letter of credit will be re-evaluated at scheduled intervals and will increase by 3% annually to protect against inflation; the county’s third-party engineer will review cost estimates.
The planning committee approved the Commerce Street landscape-management plan, finding it provided adequate screening and compliance with county requirements, and recommended conditional issuance of the building permit once the decommissioning and payment of third-party fees are satisfied.
The committee also deemed multiple other solar applications complete for public hearings, and committee members said they had negotiated conditions intended to exceed state statutory minimums where possible. The board will consider the committee recommendations at a full board action.
Next steps: Planning & Zoning staff will verify the letter of credit and third-party engineer review and report to the county board prior to building-permit issuance.
