Petition with over 1,100 supporters asks DeKalb County not to change solar energy regulations

SYCAMORE – Mary Nelson, president of the League of Women Voters in DeKalb County, presented DeKalb County officials Thursday with a petition bolstered by more than 1,100 signatures urging the county not to change its solar energy regulations.

All of those signatures were from DeKalb County residents, including liberal and conservative-leaning people, Nelson said during a public hearing about proposed changes for the county’s solar energy ordinance. Nelson said the league advocates for initiatives that promote solar energy, supports clean air and water policies and opposes reliance on fossil fuels.

Nelson argued against any changes to the county’s existing ordinances, saying the petition’s supporters believe adding more regulations could hinder future solar development in the area.

“To support this policy in DeKalb County we’ve helped to circulate a petition that states: ‘We, the undersigned, are residents of DeKalb County who urge our leaders to support the development of solar energy in DeKalb County,’” Nelson said. “‘We oppose the burdensome regulations that would prevent the development of solar projects.’”

Not all sided with the league’s petition, however. Some voiced opposition to DeKalb County Board votes that paved the way to bring in more than 6,000 acres of solar energy development to the area in 2021.

Linda Timm and her husband, lifelong DeKalb County residents, spoke out against more solar developments. Timm grew up in Sycamore, moved to DeKalb Township in 1974 and now owns farmland in Mayfield and Kingston townships.

“As senior citizens who have supported this county and community our entire lives we are appalled at the approval of the DeKalb County Board to support the three solar – quote – farms – unquote,” Timm said.

Timm said, in her opinion, the 3,700-acre Owens Creek solar project, the 1,800-acre Red Maple project and the 600-acre Samsung project are in direct conflict with the DeKalb County Unified Future Land Use Plan that was adopted in 2011.

“In my case, I do not have a home on my property but have sufficient acreage to build two homes,” Timm said. “With the two massive electrical substations proposed to be located next to my property line I have serious concerns as to how much my property value will decrease, as well as the feasibility and safety of our lives if I choose to build a home on that acreage.”

According to policy drafts not yet approved by the County Board, the amended solar ordinance includes a minimum setback of 100 feet from property lines or righs of way. Components of a solar panel, except for the interconnection points, would need to be at least 300 feet “from the nearest outer wall of an occupied structure,” according to county documents. That setback requirement could be waived, however, if the solar energy developer entered into a written and notarized agreement with the adjacent property owner, according to documents.

Nelson said one of the reasons the league wants to see the ordinance setbacks remain as they are is so future solar proposals aren’t heavy-handed, something she thinks happened with the wind farms recently installed throughout southern DeKalb County a few years back.

“It’s difficult enough. The conditions, the mathematics that go into placing these farms is pretty extreme,” Nelson said. “So that when you start pushing them further, further back, it gets to the point where they’re not feasible to build, and that’s exactly what happened to the wind turbines in DeKalb.”

Nelson, who’s a retired teacher and home school’s her granddaughter, said she became inspired to advocate for solar energy in DeKalb County after recently assigning her granddaughter a unit on climate change. Nelson said her granddaughter told her she feels like she or her kids are going to die from climate change.

“And it didn’t get done, and it didn’t get done, and it didn’t get done and I finally said ‘What is going on?’ and she started to cry,” Nelson said. “She’s 15 years old and she said ‘I can’t do it.’ She said ‘It’s too scary and I can’t do anything about it.’ And I said ‘Well, you need to get involved.’”