Commission candidates say they'll reverse green energy ban

GROTON TWP.— Two Democrats running for the Erie County commission said they'll vote to reverse Erie County's current ban on big green energy projects. Leslie Murray and Marcus Harris both said they believe it's wrong to block projects, such as industrial-scale wind projects and solar energy farms, and they'll reverse the ban if they win next month. They are running against Pat Shenigo and Matt Old, the two Republican incumbents who voted to impose the ban. In 2023, the two incumbents, joined by third commissioner Steve Shoffner, voted to ban new green energy projects. The vote doesn't affect the two that are already under construction: the Wheatsborough solar power project in Groton Township and the Firelands Wind project in southern Erie County and northern Huron County. Individual homeowners and farmers also can still install wind turbines or solar panels if they wish. As the Register reported a few days ago, a Columbus-based Super PAC that backs environmental causes, Conservation Ohio PAC, has jumped in the local race with ads that attack Old and Shenigo for opposing "energy independence" and "new jobs." Conservation Ohio PAC is a Super PAC that makes independent expenditures — it doesn't coordinate its message with any campaign. So the Register asked Murray and Harris to clarify their stances on the issue. Both said they would vote to reverse the ban and said their position upholds property rights, allowing property owners rather than politicians to decide if they want such projects. Murray said supporting green energy provides the possibility of reducing energy costs. It also supports jobs, including good-paying construction jobs sought by the labor unions that Murray said supports her. Additionally, Murray said there will still be rules to follow if a new project is proposed and that she would consider each proposal on its merits. If someone wants to put in a 400-foot wind turbine in the middle of a residential area, "that's not going to fly," she said. "This is a property rights issue," Harris said, explaining that it's wrong for "big government to oppose economic prosperity." "It's a bad signal that Erie County is not a place of innovation, it's not a good place to do business," Harris said. Of course, tourism will remain a mainstay in Erie County, but the area also needs to "embrace innovation," he said. Old and the other commissioners have said they voted for the ban after getting an earful from rural officials and residents, who the officials said strongly backed the ban. "We have heard overwhelmingly from township trustees, farmers and residents in the areas where these projects are likely to be built that they do not want industrial-scale energy projects constructed in their communities. Our position is a direct response to the concerns of these residents," Old said.