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Ranger Power says Harrison County template would effectively block most solar projects; commissioners call for local vision before drafting rules
Summary
A Ranger Power representative told the Washington County Plan Commission that a Harrison County‑style solar ordinance would ‘zone out’ most projects in the county because of industrial‑zoning limits, soil‑productivity restrictions, acreage caps, slope rules and a 3.5‑mile well‑testing radius; commissioners proposed a local visioning session to define goals before drafting rules. Company representatives said they are open to negotiated, clearly written requirements.
A representative for Ranger Power told the Washington County Plan Commission that a draft ordinance modeled on Harrison County's rules would effectively prevent most large solar projects in the county, prompting commissioners to propose a visioning session to set local goals before the commission adapts or adopts ordinance language.
The company representative identified five main elements in the Harrison County model that, as written, would rule out many Washington County projects: limiting utility‑scale solar to industrially zoned land; excluding sites with soil‑productivity values above a specified threshold; putting a 200‑acre cap per project and a 2,000‑acre countywide cap; requiring a >6% slope in certain provisions; and imposing a well‑testing…
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