Betterton Solar Proposal Raises Questions About Local Planning and State Authority
The proposed community solar project in Betterton has become a test and another statewide flashpoint for how much control small Maryland towns retain over their own plans for growth, according to Janet Lewis-Christensen, Chair of the Kent Conservation and Preservation Alliance.
Lewis-Christensen recently spoke with the Spy following the Maryland Public Service Commission hearing at the Betterton Volunteer Fire Company last week. She estimated that between 150 and 200 people, including families, former mayors, county commissioners and state and local officials attended to raise their concerns with the solar array placement.
At issue is a parcel that Betterton has long envisioned for mixed-use development, including housing, small commercial uses and public green space. Lewis-Christensen said the town has planned for growth there for roughly two decades and has invested heavily in infrastructure, including approximately $10.5 million in sewer improvements for the town which would also serve housing on the new property.
“This is the parcel that they have always targeted for that expansion,” she said, describing the property as contiguous with the existing town and particularly important because Betterton is constrained by surrounding water, wetlands and preserved farmland.
The dispute also highlights a larger issue: the authority of the Maryland Public Service Commission to approve energy projects even when they conflict with local land-use plans.
Lewis-Christensen argues that the state’s increasing authority over the siting of renewable-energy facilities has weakened the ability of counties and municipalities to determine where development should occur. Comprehensive plans, she noted, are intended to reflect a community’s long-term decisions about housing, agriculture, commercial development and preservation.
The proposed Betterton facility would be classified as community solar, which allows customers within the utility’s service territory to subscribe to a portion of the electricity produced. Subscribers may receive savings on their electric bills, but Lewis-Christensen noted that they do not necessarily have to live in Betterton and that the savings might be minimal.
For Lewis-Christensen, however, the immediate issue is less about solar energy than about whether years of local planning can be overridden by state energy policy.
She praised Betterton residents and officials for organizing around the proposal and said the implications extend well beyond Kent County.
“If this were to go through, they would be in the same position,” she said of other Maryland towns. “So, small communities everywhere, beware.”
This is a long form interview, approximately fifteen minutes in length.
2 Responses
Janet Lewis – Christensen, you are anything but a “bit player”. You are a rock star. Thank you for your tireless effort and guidance to bring Betterton’s Solar fight to the public awareness. This is a devastating issue for our community affecting our property values and quality of life. Everyone should be able to rely on planning and zoning when making a decision to purchase a home where you’ll raise your family. The state has usurped our rights by allowing an industrial power plant in a residential district. There’s always someone ready to take advantage of injustice. Even the public hearing was held unjustly, and against policy. Thank you for having the courage to speak out.
Yes. Totally agree. Leave our Jewel of the Chesapeake alone Public Service Commission