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Hosting solar can be a lifeline for farmers. But overcoming local opposition is tough
Farmers say county bans are cutting off lease income and prompting lawsuits, referendums and public pressure to restore solar development.
- After Mahoning County officials blocked his 675-acre solar project in 2023, sixth-generation Ohio farmer Wayne Greier faces financial hardship, losing about $540,000 in annual lease payments needed to manage $1 million in medical debt.
- A 2025 Columbia University study found a 16% increase in local laws restricting renewable projects across 44 states, while the Trump administration's hostility to green energy has removed critical tax incentives and subsidies.
- In Richland County, resident Morgan Carroll frames solar debates as a property rights issue to build community support for overturning the local ban on renewable projects.
- "Many communities want to decarbonize and probably theoretically support renewable energy," said Juniper Katz, an environmental policy professor at the University of Massachusetts, noting the challenge of balancing local concerns without creating excessive veto points.
- As a member of the Renewable Energy Farmers of America, Greier now advises other landowners navigating solar development hurdles, hoping officials will establish protections that enable renewable growth while addressing community concerns.
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32 Articles
32 Articles
Associated Press News+26 Reposted by 26 other sources
Hosting solar can be a lifeline for farmers. But overcoming local opposition is tough
Local opposition to solar has long been an obstacle for green energy developers in the United States, but some communities are working to reverse local restrictions.
·United States
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Through the window of his harvester, Wayne Greier watches his teenage son Blake drive a tractor through an empty field, dragging a plough to place it in position for another uncertain spring planting season.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources32
Leaning Left5Leaning Right3Center19Last UpdatedBias Distribution70% Center
Bias Distribution
- 70% of the sources are Center
70% Center
L 19%
C 70%
11%
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