Howard County Council weighs pause on solar energy projects
A proposed moratorium on solar energy projects remains under consideration by the Howard County Council.
The bill, which would temporarily pause certain solar projects in the county, was the subject of the council's latest work session Monday.
The discussion came after several Western Howard County residents testified in support of the moratorium, saying large-scale solar projects threaten the rural and agricultural character of their communities.
A state law loophole
For many residents in Woodbine, the area's rural and agricultural landscapes were a major reason they chose to live there.
"After more than a decade of living in cities and with our two small children, we wanted the same peaceful surroundings that we had growing up," Kasey Meinecke told the County Council during Thursday's continued legislative public hearing.
Meinecke was among a number of mostly Woodbine residents who testified in support of legislation that would pause certain solar energy projects in Howard County.
She said she learned about a project being developed near her home after seeing a sign posted nearby.
"No outreach, no notice, just a sign [saying] a solar facility planned on the farmland behind our home and our neighbor's home," Meinecke said.
Howard County Councilman David Yungmann introduced the bill. He said the county needs more clarity about how state law affects solar development.
Last year, the Renewable Energy Certainty Act, or RECA, became state law. Yungmann said the law created a loophole allowing projects that generate between one and two megawatts to bypass certain state and county review processes.
"Howard County currently has 15 solar projects in various stages of development, all of which are under 2 megawatts, allowing each one to avoid the PSC review process and be approved by the County without any public process, standards, and considerations," the bill states.
During Monday's work session, Yungmann said his district has been disproportionately affected by the projects.
"We are clearly very, very pro solar and don't seem super concerned about the impact on ag and the rural community, the neighborhoods around them," he said. "That's a shame."
Yungmann said the moratorium would give the county's Department of Planning and Zoning and state lawmakers time to address RECA and its impacts.
The next opportunity for the County Council to take action on the bill is at its Oct. 5 meeting.
Progress on climate initiatives
During Monday's work session and Thursday's public hearing, several people raised concerns about the proposed moratorium's potential impact on the county's efforts to address climate change.
Howard County's Climate Forward Plan calls for generating 437 megawatts of solar energy by 2030. The county is currently generating about 180 megawatts, according to Deputy Chief of Staff Tim Lattimer.
Lattimer also expressed concern that a moratorium could effectively halt solar projects already in development and potentially create a stigma around solar energy projects in the county.
