MOUNT VERNON — The next step in the Frasier Solar project gets underway on Monday with the Ohio Power Siting Board hearing at 10 a.m. in Columbus.
Unlike the hearings earlier this year in Mount Vernon, Monday’s adjudicatory hearing is a formal judicial procedure. Only the parties in the case will participate: intervenors, Open Road Renewables, and OPSB staff.
According to Matthew Butler of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, the OPSB scheduled the hearing for 10 days. However, Butler said it is unlikely the hearing will run for more than several days.
“We will have a better idea of the timeline once the hearing begins on Monday,” he said via email.
Butler said all potential witnesses submit pre-filed written testimony, depositions, or both, and may be subject to cross-examination based on their testimony.
“Witnesses may or may not be cross-examined depending upon the interests of the other parties,” he explained.
Members of the public may attend to observe the proceedings. The hearings will not be available online.
Parking is available in a parking garage on 4th Street, north of Broad Street. On-street meter parking is also available. Click here for more parking information.
Butler said the hearings are expected to last until 5 p.m. each day. There will be a break for lunch and a couple of other breaks throughout the day, although there isn’t a set time when these will happen.
Frasier Solar background
Knox Pages first reported on Open Road Renewables’ Frasier Solar project in May 2022.
At the time, in addition to Open Road Renewables, two other solar developers had leased acreage in the county. However, only Frasier Solar was grandfathered in under Senate Bill 52.
The project area covers about 1,000 acres in Miller and Clinton townships with roughly 800 acres in solar panels. The majority acreage is in Miller. The City of Mount Vernon has 100 acres within the project.
In August 2022, the county commissioners banned wind farms in the county and okayed solar on a case-by-case basis.
Community members have been vocal about the project, both in opposition and support.
The OPSB held a hearing in Mount Vernon in April 2024 for public comment. The board suspended the hearing at midnight and scheduled two additional hearings in May to hear the remainder of comments.
Once Monday’s adjudicatory hearing is over, the parties may be allowed to file briefs. Once that process is completed, the OPSB administrative law judge will draft a proposed decision for the board’s consideration.
There is no set time frame for the board to make a decision.
Once the OPSB issues its decision, parties have 30 days to appeal the decision. If a party files an appeal, the board has 30 days from the date the appeal is filed to rule on the request for appeal.
Ultimately, OPSB decisions may be appealed to the Supreme Court of Ohio.
