The environment watchdog has rejected a proposal by a controversial Turkish businessman to build a 50-megawatt solar power plant in Laikipia County, citing gaps in cost disclosure and lack of public participation.

After careful consideration, Vanderburgh County Commission President Justin Elpers announced Monday they rejected the proposal of a solar farm. As we previously reported, Orion Renewable Energy was seeking to make northern Vanderburgh County the home for a new solar farm. Many residents that we spoke to had strong opinions about the potential solar farm. Officials say after listening to the concerns of residents, reviewing the potential long-term impacts and considering the priorities of the community, they believe this particular project is not the right fit for Scott Township or for Vanderburgh County at this time. The proposed project was 600 megawatts on a reported 900 acres. For more, see: https://www.farmersadvance.com/story/news/2025/07/29/vanderburgh-county-bluegrass-creek-solar-project/85422463007/

The Henderson County Fiscal Court unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on industrial-scale wind energy projects Tuesday, halting progress on the proposed Rock Bluff Energy Park as residents voiced strong opposition over transparency, environmental and safety concerns. The resolution, passed during a contentious meeting, aims to allow time for comprehensive studies and public input, leading to a potential permanent ban on wind turbines in the county. The Rock Bluff Energy Park, proposed by Cordelio Power and Tenaska, is envisioned as a multi-technology clean energy facility. The park is expected to incorporate solar photovoltaic technology installed on reclaimed coal mine lands and wind turbines that bring diversified income to local farming families. Residents packed the fiscal court meeting, expressing distrust and alarm. Shannon Hill, a Bluff City Road resident, accused Cordelio and Tenaska of non-transparency since 2022. Hill cited a 2023 PowerPoint that revealed plans for a 30,000-acre project with 93 turbines, contradicting earlier claims of a smaller scope. “We, the citizens of Henderson County, are requesting a complete prohibition to wind and all green energy projects,” Hill said. “There’s been non-transparency from the beginning.”...The fiscal court emphasized that the moratorium, formalized through a new zoning ordinance, avoids legal risks like unconstitutional “takings” by aligning with the planning commission’s timeline for developing regulations. The resolution imposes an immediate moratorium on wind energy applications, directs the Henderson City-County Planning Commission to hold public hearings and allows small-scale wind systems for residential use. The commission will study environmental impacts, health risks, property values and decommissioning processes, with findings due by July 1, 2026, or sooner if zoning amendments are approved.

The Crawford County Quorum Court passed a five-year moratorium on the construction of commercial wind turbines at its meeting Tuesday night. The vote was 12-0 with one absent, said County Clerk Stacey L. Shelly. "The Quorum Court finds that the immediate implementation of this ordinance is necessary for the preservation of the public's peace, health, safety, welfare and property, an emergency is hereby declared to exist and that this Ordinance is to be in effect immediately after its adoption," according to the ordinance. Similar moratoriums have been passed by quorum courts in at least five other Arkansas counties.

Plans to build a battery energy storage system (BESS) close to a West Yorkshire village have been rejected.More than 1,200 residents, along with MPs and councillors, objected to proposals to install 72 containers storing lithium ion batteries on farmland at Heath, near Wakefield.Opponents said the scheme could pose a fire risk to residents and harm the local conservation area. However, the scheme could still go ahead after applicant Harmony Energy lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate over a three-year delay in the council determining the application...Wakefield Council's planning and highways committee unanimously voted against their officers recommendation to approve the scheme at Heath Common, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Normanton councillor Julie Medford told the meeting the area was "commonly referred to as Wakefield's jewel in the crown" and had never seen so much opposition to a plan.

There’s been a setback for a proposed commercial solar energy farm in Roxana. The Madison County Board voted 18-6, Wednesday night, to deny special use permits for adjoining properties on and near Wanda Road. Chicago-based parent company SunVest Solar LLC is hoping to place a 2.5 megawatt facility on farm land there. Their paperwork says the 6,600 solar panels would generate enough power for 350 homes. County board building and zoning committee chair Mick Madison tells The Big Z why he recommended a "no" vote:

A conversation about potential wind and solar power projects filled every seat — and some of the hallway — in the room where the Richland County Board of Commissioners met Thursday. County residents, several township trustees and at least one electrical union representative were all in attendance to hear the three-member board’s decision regarding proposed legislation... Ultimately, commissioners voted unanimously to declare portions of Richland County’s unincorporated areas be “restricted areas prohibiting construction of economically significant wind farms, large wind farms and large solar facilities.” These restricted areas include Bloominggrove, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Mifflin, Monroe, Perry, Plymouth, Sharon, Troy and Weller townships. Trustees in all of those townships had asked commissioners for the restriction... During the vote, Commissioner Cliff Mears also voted yes, “because we (commissioners) can’t turn our backs on what the townships have asked.”

A conversation about potential wind and solar power projects filled every seat — and some of the hallway — in the room where the Richland County Board of Commissioners met Thursday. County residents, several township trustees and at least one electrical union representative were all in attendance to hear the three-member board’s decision regarding proposed legislation... Ultimately, commissioners voted unanimously to declare portions of Richland County’s unincorporated areas be “restricted areas prohibiting construction of economically significant wind farms, large wind farms and large solar facilities.” These restricted areas include Bloominggrove, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Mifflin, Monroe, Perry, Plymouth, Sharon, Troy and Weller townships. Trustees in all of those townships had asked commissioners for the restriction... During the vote, Commissioner Cliff Mears also voted yes, “because we (commissioners) can’t turn our backs on what the townships have asked.”

A conversation about potential wind and solar power projects filled every seat — and some of the hallway — in the room where the Richland County Board of Commissioners met Thursday. County residents, several township trustees and at least one electrical union representative were all in attendance to hear the three-member board’s decision regarding proposed legislation... Ultimately, commissioners voted unanimously to declare portions of Richland County’s unincorporated areas be “restricted areas prohibiting construction of economically significant wind farms, large wind farms and large solar facilities.” These restricted areas include Bloominggrove, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Mifflin, Monroe, Perry, Plymouth, Sharon, Troy and Weller townships. Trustees in all of those townships had asked commissioners for the restriction... During the vote, Commissioner Cliff Mears also voted yes, “because we (commissioners) can’t turn our backs on what the townships have asked.”

A conversation about potential wind and solar power projects filled every seat — and some of the hallway — in the room where the Richland County Board of Commissioners met Thursday. County residents, several township trustees and at least one electrical union representative were all in attendance to hear the three-member board’s decision regarding proposed legislation... Ultimately, commissioners voted unanimously to declare portions of Richland County’s unincorporated areas be “restricted areas prohibiting construction of economically significant wind farms, large wind farms and large solar facilities.” These restricted areas include Bloominggrove, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Mifflin, Monroe, Perry, Plymouth, Sharon, Troy and Weller townships. Trustees in all of those townships had asked commissioners for the restriction... During the vote, Commissioner Cliff Mears also voted yes, “because we (commissioners) can’t turn our backs on what the townships have asked.”