JARRETTSVILLE, Md. — It’s hard to imagine what nearly 9,000 solar panels would look like on this 72 acres along Rocks Road in Jarrettsville, but a longtime resident, Don Brock, would likely have to look at them every day.
“It was always farm. It was never intended for anything else and it’s all zoned agricultural,” said Brock, “So when we found out. We saw the signs posted and we heard rumors about it so we started getting really involved and the more we get involved, the more upset we get.”
Another solar farm for Jarrettsville
While the county is giving residents a chance to speak out on the plans, their words may be in vain, since state lawmakers passed the Renewable Energy Certainty Act last year, bypassing local zoning for such projects.
“We can only hope that people will try to make some adjustments to be good neighbors. A little set back from yards and things,” said Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly, “but as a practical matter, yes, it’s not a whole lot that we can do under the color of law.”
That controversial state legislation would allow solar farms to go in on up to five percent of all of the agricultural land in any given county before local zoning would have to be considered.
County leaders testified against the measure in Annapolis to no avail.
“Just give us a quota. Tell us how much you want and we’ll find land for that in our county,” Cassilly recalls he told them, “and they wouldn’t do that. They specifically targeted the best farmland.”
Now, opponents are left with few options, but to appeal to their enriched neighbors.
“Those people that are selling out to the solar---it’s very lucrative,” Brock told us, “That’s my assumption.”
“At your expense?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
Little does Brock know that yet another neighbor, Bruce Huber, is about to sell out to a different solar venture as well who would more than make it worth his while.
“A lot of money,” says Huber, “I’m not gonna say dollars and pennies, because I’m in a contract, but it’s a lot of money and people don’t understand that, but there’s reasons people do it and mine is for my wife’s health so that’s what the money is for.”
“But when we talk about the money, they’re giving you millions of reasons to think about this?” we asked.
“Yes. Yes, sir. Millions of reasons,” he replied.
