LISBON — Columbiana County commissioners set a public hearing for 9:15 a.m. Feb. 15 regarding requests to bar large solar facilities and large wind farms from building in unincorporated areas of Fairfield, Franklin, Perry and West townships.

Commissioner Tim Weigle explained that trustees from the four townships all sent resolutions asking the board to adopt a resolution prohibiting the construction of the wind and solar generation facilities in their unincorporated areas, an act permitted by Ohio Revised Code 303.58.

“Today was the first step in the process,” he said Wednesday.

The hearing for testimony regarding the requests will be held in the commissioners’ meeting room at the downtown courthouse, 105 S. Market St., Lisbon. Written testimony can be sent to the commissioners’ office prior to the public hearing.

He noted a copy of the public hearing notice, each resolution and a map for each area will be posted in local libraries and published in the Morning Journal. Weigle also said school districts have to be notified by certified mail.

Franklin Township is the proposed location for a large solar facility by Kensington Solar, but when asked if this could affect that project, Weigle said no applications filed prior to Senate Bill 52 becoming law in October 2021 would be subject to the new rules.

He did add, however, that if for some reason Kensington Solar had to refile its application with the Ohio Power Siting Board, then the project would fall under ORC 303.58. The project application remains pending before the Ohio Power Siting Board.

Rather than designate the entire county as a restricted area prohibiting the construction of “an economically significant wind farm, a large wind farm, a large solar facility,” Weigle said “we wanted the townships to come to us to request it. We don’t want to overstep local governments.”

By law, the commissioners may adopt a resolution designating all or part of an unincorporated area of the county as a restricted area.

The commissioners went on record against the Kensington Solar project last year. Resolutions from trustees said the construction of any type of large wind farm or solar facility would not be in the best interests of residents.