It must first be pointed out that Bates County is not zoned against solar farms. For the record, the same for wind turbines- however, there's no need to worry about the turbines, there's a very slim chance Missouri may ever see any new wind farms due to current legislation and federal monies drying up to support them.
But by contrast, solar farms (large arrays of solar panels) are popping up in Missouri as quickly as possible due to looming Missouri Senate Bill 849 that could halt future projects. So logically, the rush is on to install as many as possible so they will fall under Grandfather status.
On top of it all, Bates County offers something rather unique as solar farms need a hefty connection to the power grid and Bates County offers not one, but two prime locations: on the west side with connection near the La Cygne power plant and on the east side near the former Montrose power plant. This rare combination has put our county high on the 'wish list' for any type of alternation power generation, primarily including solar.
For now we'll look at the west side of the county as the Clearway Energy 650 megawatt solar farm project just south of Amsterdam is supposed to begin construction late this Summer. The project is coming much to the dismay of some however, all it takes is an agreement between the company and the landowner. Neither of which are obligated to notify the community outside of working with the county commission regarding right-of-ways and agreements regarding roads.
It is however, in the best interest of the solar company to work with the community to sign a Chapter 100 bond agreement that would bring some type of financial benefit locally. We'll discuss that agreement in detail shortly but it appears, based on feedback from citizens present during Wednesday's meetings, there are unanswered questions to be addressed first and Barry Matchett, Head of External Affairs for this region representing Clearway Energy was on hand to answer those which included:
What about runoff and erosion?
Does the ground get contaminated if the panels break?
Do solar panel fires pose a unique threat?
Has Clearway procured all necessary permits?
What about negative impact on adjacent property values?
Matchett answered that first four questions with what appeared to be satisfactory responses but the property values discussion was rather lengthy. Nearby landowner Chad Wiley revealed documentation indicating that solar farms do indeed have a long term impact however Matchett begged to differ. His response was that while a solar farm may have some negative impact early on, it will improve in short order as those nearby get used to the installation being part of the landscape over time.
He also said many steps are taken to help the farm 'blend in' by adding berms with cedar trees to reduce overall visibility of the panels, among other things.
As those questions were addressed, the focal point of the discussion wound down to: What's in it for our community? Our schools? Our roads? Townships? Other benefits?
All of which lead back to the Chapter 100 discussion.
In short, a Chapter 100 contract will insure that some tax monies will stay local and can be fed into schools, infrastructure or whatever is designated in the contract; and that very contract is under a time crunch to be completed, as according to Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, it needs to happen in 30 days or less.
Earlier, Wheatley did provide Mid America Live with his initial 'wish list' of those to get compensation from the Clearway Solar farm that included fire gear, sewer improvements and a storm siren for both cities of Amsterdam and Amoret. However, it appears that list is likely to get much longer in coming days as local schools are high in priority too.
In the end, it stands to reason that Clearway likely has a predetermined amount they will agree to and now it's up to the commission, with input from citizens, to decide where it will go. There will be a town hall type 'meet and greet' with Clearway Energy representatives to be held April 27th, 6:30 pm at the Miami R-1 high school gymnasium and the public is highly encouraged to attend as noted below.
Editor's note- Additional details regarding the Wednesday commission meeting will be revealed in the upcoming weekly report from the county clerk's office. More information is forthcoming from Mid America Live regarding other solar projects as well as answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Clearway project.
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