WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. -- County officials tell us they are being "big-footed" by the state of Maryland when it comes to solar energy. The county wants to be strict with where these large-scale projects can go, but local jurisdictions feel their voices are being silenced.
"We have laws in place to protect our community and when you have the state and especially outside businesses who are coming in to tell us what we should do, it's harmful," said Commission President Chip Bertino.
This is evident in a recent project that landed in front of the Worcester County Commissioners. Turning Point Energy proposed a 5 MW(megawatt) project in Berlin off of Old Ocean City Boulevard.
County Commissioners stated their opposition to the project in a letter to the company, citing the proposed location is inside a growth area established in the county's comprehensive plan.
Those areas are meant to be left open for future growth, and the county felt this project would force residential development 'outside of growth areas and create sprawl, directly undermining smart and sustainable growth'.
Worcester Commissioners also mentioned the location being inside a residentially zoned area, where solar projects are not allowed, as well as it being a location that could be annexed into the town of Berlin in the future.
While those suggestions will be brought up to Maryland's Public Service Commission, who oversees solar decisions, that is all they will be: suggestions.
The PSC has final say and does have the authority to supersede local decisions.
"We know how we want our community to look, our residents know how they want to live in our community and the zoning laws that are currently in affect reflect that," said Bertino. "For someone on the outside to come in and tell us how we're going to apportion our land, how we're going to utilize our land is wrong."
The project proposed for Berlin has not been filed to the state yet, according to the PSC. So, there is no timeline on if and when Maryland will make the final call.
Two other projects are moving forward in Worcester County. They are located in Pocomoke City and Snow Hill. The Pocomoke Project is still working its way through the state's approval process.
Snow Hill's project was approved on October 15th. That decision will become official on October 30th.
