Solar farm to be topic

Citizens for Greene Acres is hosting a community meeting to inform local residents about the proposed “Kingwood Solar Farm,” a Utility-Scale Solar Energy project being considered for construction in rural Miami, Cedarville and Xenia townships. The meeting will be held from 6:308:30 p.m., Friday at Cedar Cliff High School Gymnasium, 194 Walnut St. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Citizens for Greene Acres (CGA) is a recently formed grass-roots group of residents, land owners, and friends of the rural neighborhood located near Yellow Springs, Clifton, and Cedarville, Ohio.

CGA is concerned about the compatibility and impact of a proposed utility-scale solar energy project, officially known as the “Kingwood Solar Farm.” The project developer, Lendlease Energy Development LLC (a subsidiary of Australian-based Lendlease Corporation Limited) has set its sights on a corridor of productive farmland situated between Ohio 72, Clifton and Wilberforce-Clifton Roads. The solar array would be constructed proximate to existing power transmission lines in an agricultural, recreational, and historical area bounded by US Route 68 on the west; Ohio 72 on the north; and U.S. 42 on the east. This industrial sized energy installation is slated to occupy more than 1500 acres and utility-scale solar panels and chain link fencing will dominate the landscape. Lease terms are approximately 40 years and the land will not likely return to agricultural production once the solar “farm” is constructed or de-commissioned.

Featured speakers include Dale Arnold, Director for Energy, Utility and Local Government Issues at Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and Matt Butler, Information Officer for the Ohio Power Siting Board. Mike Schumacher, co-founder of the Little Miami Watershed Network will also speak about water and pollution issues relevant to the proposed project.

For information: www.citizensforgreeneacres.org.