The Vermilion County Board has voted to reject a company’s plans to place solar panels on over 1400 acres of land in the southwestern part of the county. Mural Energy LLC has proposed a 180-mega-watt solar facility across portions of Jamaica and Vance townships. But some county board members and residents of the area say it would damage some of the best farmland in the world.
Only six board members voted in favor of the project at a county board meeting Tuesday night. Thirteen voted against it, with three abstaining and five members absent.
Julie Brown, one of the citizens who spoke out, noted “Vermilion County farmers are feeding the world.” She said placing solar panels on the site “is illogical”.
Another citizen, Mike Davis, said he is not opposed to alternative energy. But he added: “What you’re doing makes no sense.” Davis said Mural Energy LLC is “going to walk home with millions of our tax dollars.”
County Board member Jerry Hawker added he’s not so much against solar…but instead is against the location. And Hawker added, “I’m not going to be told by (Governor) JB Pritzker how to vote.” He was referring to state guidelines saying the board must follow the recommendation of its Wind and Solar Committee. The Committee had earlier recommended the project be approved.
In some counties where county boards have failed to follow the state guidelines there are now pending legal actions. But some Vermilion County Board members point to wording in the Siting Ordinance for Commercial Solar Energy Facilities passed by the Board in May of 2023. It says: “The decision to grant or deny a permit application is within the sole discretion of the County Board.”
