Despite dozens of protesters filling the Hinds County Board of Supervisors meeting room Monday morning, supervisors approved a solar farm that will be the biggest in the state when completed.
Local residents, mostly from Raymond and Bolton, stood outside the Hinds County Chancery Court with signs opposing the solar farm. Protesters wore green shirts reading “Not In My Backyard” or “NIMBY” and held signs reading “Say No to Big Solar.”
The solar farm, which is called Soul City Solar, is being developed by Apex Clean Energy of Charlottesville, Virginia. The farm would produce 396 megawatts of electricity, which is enough for 95,000 homes, on just under 6,000 acres of land near Raymond, Bolton and Clinton.
Apex already has leasing agreements with seven private landowners who own some of the property, including farmland, where the solar farm will be built. Plans are to start construction this year, hoping to finish by 2027. The company estimates it will bring $156 million of local tax revenue over the 30 years the facility plans to be operational, as well as new jobs.
Residents of Bolton and Raymond gather outside the Hinds County Chancery Court on Monday, June 17, in Jackson to protest a solar farm The project was approved by the Hinds County Board of Supervisors in a 3-2 vote.
The Hinds County Planning Commission voted against the solar farm during their Tuesday, May 28 meeting. The commission gives the supervisors recommendations on whether to approve or oppose land projects.
But ultimately, the final decision was with the supervisors. In a 3-2 vote, which was taken after lengthy discussion and hearing from both those in favor and against the project, the supervisors approved the project, giving Soul City Solar a conditional use permit to construct and operate the solar farm.
District 1 Supervisor and Board President Robert Graham, District 2 Supervisor Tony Smith and District 4 Supervisor Wanda Evers voted in favor, while District 3 Supervisor Deborah Butler-Dixon and District 5 Supervisor Bobby “Bobcat” McGowan voted against.
Smith and Evers said they understand residents’ environmental concerns, but voted in favor due to the project’s economic impact. McGowan, on the other hand, sided with the protesters saying the project should be moved elsewhere.
Over 50 local residents voice opposition
Allison Lauderdale, a Raymond resident and one of the organizers of the protest, said she opposes the solar farm due to concerns of how it will impact surrounding homes, as well as local wildlife. She questioned why the farm can’t be built in more rural areas.
Protesters outside the Hinds County Chancery Court in Jackson on Monday, June 17, listen to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors discussing plans for a solar farm.
“We’re not against green solar, but go put it on useless land, not in our backyard,” she said. “It’s going to completely destroy the ecosystem, the wildlife, our way of living (and) it’s going to devalue our property.”
She was also frustrated with Apex Clean Energy’s lack of notifying customers, saying “apparently it (plans) started about three years ago, but the residents only found out about it three weeks ago.”
Lauderdale, who started an online petition against the project, said her fellow protestors expected the vote to be in favor of the plant, but that they have already hired an attorney and plan to file an injunction.
“I’m sick — a lot of emotions, very disappointed,” she said after hearing about the vote.
Residents of Bolton and Raymond gather outside the Hinds County Chancery Court in Jackson wearing shirts that read, “We’re not interested in your solar panels” to protest a solar farm that would be located near Raymond on Monday, June 17.
Other residents Gay Kelly and Nicole McWilliams also expressed their disappointment in the board’s decision.
“I know that Mississippi is the target because we have cheap land,” McWilliams said. “People don’t take a lot of pride in Mississippi as far as the United States. It’s sad because we do value our rural area.”
