County Executive Jan Gardner to Host Solar Utility Projects Stakeholder Roundtable on February 22
Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner will host a Solar Utility Projects Stakeholder Roundtable on Monday, February 22, at 7:00 p.m. in the third floor meeting room of Winchester Hall, 12 East Church Street, Frederick, Md.
“There is a growing demand for the generation of solar power in Frederick County. This roundtable will bring a variety of stakeholders to the table to help us gather ideas, input and insight to develop a strategy for Frederick County,” commented Executive Gardner. “Solar is a plentiful, clean source of energy that will help us power our bright future. We need to consider many aspects to properly plan solar energy projects in our county.”
Information gathered from the roundtable discussion will provide the foundation for drafting zoning regulations and strategies for large solar utility projects. Legislation will be developed and submitted to the County Council for its consideration.
The public will have the opportunity to provide comments at the end of the roundtable.
Executive Gardner put on hold the acceptance of new applications for large-scale solar panel arrays until July 15, 2016, to allow time to develop pro-active public policy.
The roundtable is the next step in developing long-term policy and a comprehensive plan for large solar utility projects. “Clearly, solar energy is part of the solution to reducing greenhouse gasses and our community’s carbon footprint. We simply want to do it right and we value input from the public as we move forward,” said Executive Gardner.
For more information, contact Director Steve Horn, Division of Planning and Permitting, at 301-600-1153 or via e-mail at shorn@FrederickCountyMD.gov.
