ALBANY, Ore. – Linn County commissioners voted on Tuesday to oppose a massive solar energy project planned for farmland near Harrisburg.
The Board of Commissioners approved sending a letter to the Oregon Department of Energy opposing the Muddy Creek Energy Park on July 28. Commissioners Roger Nyquist and Sherrie Sprenger voted in favor, while Commissioner Will Tucker opposed the letter.
The project would be built about 10 miles east of Harrisburg and eight miles south of Brownsville. The facility would use solar panels and batteries to produce and store electricity.
The commissioners’ letter referenced concerns raised by Planning Manager Alyssa Boles about the project based on current county codes. The letter also expressed broader worries about setting a precedent for approving such projects on Willamette Valley high-value farmland.
Tucker opposed the letter, saying he has concerns about property owner’s rights and maintaining a stable power grid. After the meeting, he said he generally supports the project but has been working with the state on his concerns.
Sprenger’s main point was that an agrivoltaic facility of this size does not fit on Willamette Valley farmland. The project would cover more than 1,500 acres.
A group called Friends of Gap Road opposes the project and has provided commissioners with several updates over the last two years. The group has asked commissioners to amend county code to ban all solar projects on farmland in Linn County, but commissioners have not done that.
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