Editorial
It was a long and arduous process stretching over a period of two years and three months, but Rockbridge County finally has a solar energy ordinance on the books. Many people with widely varying viewpoints contributed to the efforts that led to the drafting of the ordinance, which was adopted last week by the Board of Supervisors.
No one got exactly what they wanted. Each side gave ground in order to reach consensus. The process was truly a carefully conceived balancing act.
To demonstrate that folks on both sides of what has been a divisive issue were willing to compromise, we’re presenting the full comments made at last week’s public hearing by two individuals who have generally held opposing points of view on the subject but who expressed acceptance of the consensus that was reached.
Here are the comments from Bob Biersack of Rockbridge Conservation, who served on the solar ordinance committee, and Bill Russell of the Rockbridge Taxpayers Alliance: Biersack: “The process that was used on an issue that’s this complex, and has this many variables associated with it, was transparent. It brought together a group of people who had different perspectives and different experience. We went through that process seriously considering each other’s positions and points of view and the information that everybody brought to bear, and it made the process richer and stronger and more fruitful, I think, in the end, than it would have been otherwise. It was community participation in its best sense.
“And when you have issues that are this important, that have this many aspects to them, I think this is an important and profitable way to pursue those. I want to express my appreciation to the board and particularly the staff who worked very hard on this for a very long time. It’s not perfect; it doesn’t represent my particular position perfectly. It doesn’t represent any of the others either. But we came to a consensus and agreement among all of us over that period of time. And I think it’s richer for that process.”
Russell: “I want to begin by recognizing the work that has gone into this ordinance – the solar committee, the Planning Commission, the staff made a serious and good faith effort to gather public input and use a framework that reflects the concerns and values of this community. This has been a thoughtful process and I respect the work behind it.
“I’m not here tonight in opposition to solar technology nor am I speaking from a partisan perspective. I approach this issue as an economic conservative who believes that the first responsibility of local government is to protect the public interest. In a county like ours it means caring for the long-term well-being of people who live here. Our responsibility is not to a single industry and not to outside policy goals or financial incentives. Our responsibility is to the residents of Rockbridge County as a whole – homeowners, farmers, retirees, working families and the people who live with the land, and the consequences of our decisions long after any project is built. Many of the citizens live on fixed or moderate incomes. They cannot easily afford higher energy costs, declining property values or large-scale land use changes that alter the character of their surroundings.
“When we consider utility-scale development, we have to ask not only whether the project complies with an ordinance, but whether it protects the economic stability and quality of life of this community. For me, the governing standard is simple. If the impacts are local and long-term, the benefits should also be local and meaningful to the people who live here. When land is converted permanently to industrial use, when visual and environmental impacts are borne locally, and when infrastructure costs are spread across rate payers, the question must always be whether the people of this county are receiving a fair and lasting return.
“This ordinance is a framework. It reflects a sincere attempt to balance competing concerns. But adopting a framework is not the same as granting open consent to the scale of development that outside economic and policy forces may now bring to rural counties like ours. How this ordinance is applied and how many projects ultimately come forward will determine whether the balance the community expects is actually maintained. The first duty of this board is not to energy policy and not to development pressure. It’s to the long-term economic security, land stewardship and quality of life of the people who call Rockbridge County home. This is the standard that I hope will guide your decisions going forward.”
