Senator Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) offered an amendment to the Senate’s energy budget proposal on Monday that would have given local governments and their residents a stronger voice in large-scale projects, like the controversial 1,800-acre solar development planned for Viola and Haverhill Townships.

The amendment would have allowed counties to adopt stricter land use standards for wind and solar developments. The state’s Public Utilities Commission would be required to consider those local standards during the siting and permitting process. That language had been state law for more than a decade until it was quietly repealed by Democrats with one-party control in 2024.

“I attended a meeting in Viola Township about this last week. People are outraged – and for good reason,” Sen. Drazkowski said. “A Chicago-based solar developer is trying to blanket 1,800 acres of farmland with industrial solar panels. Land included in the development proposal has springs that feed the Whitewater River. This developer wants to rip out the terraces that have been in place for generations to protect the soil and water, and the folks who live there don’t even get a seat at the table. That is just wrong. People need to have a say in what happens in their own backyard.”

Residents in the area have already organized a petition against the solar project, citing concerns about soil erosion, environmental damage, lost farmland, and plummeting property values. At a recent town meeting, locals shared stories of being boxed in by panels on all sides, with no opportunity to voice concerns at the township or county level.