Editor’s note: This editorial has been corrected to delete an erroneous comparison between property line setback requirements for confined animal feeding operations and proposed solar regulations.
There has been a lot of heat, but far less light, in the debate about large-scale solar power operations in Bartholomew County.
What the arguments boil down to, essentially, is this: Some folks are in favor of solar panels, some are against them.
It’s fine to have opinions. It’d be dull if we didn’t. Some folks find solar arrays unsightly. Others regard them as beautiful. No one is likely to change anyone’s mind about how they see them, and we wouldn’t even attempt it.
But what we will argue for, as we have on our editorial page since the first large-scale solar development plan rose on Bartholomew County’s horizon, is private property rights.
We believe that when it comes to someone’s private property and the rights of responsible landowners to legally use their own land, opinions shouldn’t count for more than just that: opinions.
And opinions certainly should have no bearing on our county zoning and land-use regulations. Those are based on rational principles of law to govern development and enforce basic codes and standards. These rules also attempt to strike a balance so that, ideally, one property owner’s exercise of their legal property rights does not interfere with another property owner’s rights.
In the lengthy debate we’ve had over permitting what local planning staff refer to as commercial solar energy systems (CSES), the lines have been drawn. Property setback lines, that is.
Opponents of solar fields say the planning commission’s original proposed setback line of 500 feet — or more — should be adopted. However, the Bartholomew County Planning Commission amended the setback to 200 feet, and Bartholomew County Commissioners have tentatively approved that ordinance.
We can see no reason why the commissioners should not give final approval to the ordinance at their meeting tomorrow.
This matter has been debated in public hearings and meetings for more than five months. This has not been rushed. On the contrary, the proposals have been studied and analyzed, and the public has had multiple opportunities to be heard in person and virtually.
And to be blunt, this should not be a difficult decision in the first place.
And remember, we’re just talking about what the rules would be here. Any future proposed CSES would still have to go through separate public hearings and the zoning approval process.
As we said at the beginning, some folks are going to be against solar farms because they just are. But that is no basis for policymaking.
That’s what we elect the Bartholomew County Commissioners to do. It’s time for them to lead on this issue and pass the solar ordinance as it stands without further delay.
