Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solar Siting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Queen Anne's County to Intervene in State Review of Large Solar Proposal Near Centerville
Summary
The commissioners voted to intervene in a Maryland Public Service Commission case after staff warned three co-located community-solar projects near the Route 301/304 interchange together would amount to a major utility-scale facility and could undercut growth-area protections adopted in last year’s renewable-energy law.
Queen Anne's County commissioners voted May 26 to file a petition to intervene in Maryland Public Service Commission Case No. 9868, a consolidated application for three co-located community solar projects proposed near the Route 301/304 interchange totaling roughly 9.98 megawatts across about 674 acres.
County staff told the commission the configuration appears intended to circumvent statutory and locally negotiated limits added in last year’s renewable-energy legislation that were designed to prohibit major utility-scale solar development in designated town growth areas. The county and the town of Centerville asked the PSC to consider whether the three separate applications should be treated as a single utility-scale project.
"My concern is the precedent this would set," Commission Amy said during discussion. "The application as submitted looks like a clear attempt to circumvent standards that were negotiated during the last legislative session." She urged the PSC to decide whether these colocated projects must be evaluated together as a single major facility.
County staff and the town argued the site lies in the town's Tier 2 growth area and that treating the three proposals as separate community projects would allow large-scale solar to occupy land intended for future town growth and infrastructure. Commissioners noted broader policy implications — including tax and land-use impacts — if major solar is sited inside growth boundaries.
The board voted to authorize county staff to file a petition to intervene and participate in the PSC proceeding so the county may submit legal briefs and seek an administrative determination about how the applications should be classified under state and local rules.
What happens next: the PSC will set deadlines for written briefs and may schedule hearings; the county intervenor status gives staff and counsel standing to submit arguments and evidence. The town of Centerville was reported to be considering its own intervention.
Why it matters: The decision could determine whether nearby land that was identified for future growth stays available for development or is effectively converted to energy production. County officials said they want the PSC to uphold the legislative intent that limits major utility-scale solar in town growth areas.
The petition and related filings will be available in the PSC docket for Case No. 9868.
