Indian Lake residents pushing back on solar farm project and promises

DAYTON, Ohio ( WDTN ) — As a major Texas-based solar energy company eyes Indian Lake for its new 800-megawatt facility , some residents are expressing concerns about environmental impact.

The Grange Solar Project would cover up to 5,000 acres of land leased directly from area landowners. However, concerned residents have acknowledged the vast natural resources, protected wildlife, and tourism that could be impacted.

“When you have 2 million visitors to your area annually and you put a power plant in the middle of that, and you put a power plant less than a few hundred yards from our lake, that changes everything. That changes the landscape for us,” said Aubrey Snapp, Indian Lake advocate.

The project still needs approval from the Ohio power sitting board. In the meantime, the company says it is working to create a relationship with the community, including a proposal to assist in tornado recovery.

“So should the project move to construction we’ve outlined approximately $10 million of donations that would occur, some at the point of construction and some over the course,” said Vice President of Open Road Renewables, Douglas Sterling.

He added that community engagement is important with such a lengthy project.

“The community feels like they’re not directly benefiting to projects they want to see happen. So this is our way of putting more money into the communities hands to do what they feel is best in the Indian Lake area,” said Sterling.

But some people aren’t buying it.

“They’re saying, oh, we’ll give you $10 million. But here’s a lot of things that aren’t guaranteed with the money. So I don’t believe it anyway,” said Snapp.

If approved, leaders on the project say they are about three or four years out from construction.

Advocates in Indian Lake are urging supporters of their fight to email their elected officials and press their concerns.

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