Opponents pack Cong. Tiffany’s town hall on St. Croix County solar project

Residents of St. Croix County across the river from the Alan S. King power plant in Oak Park Heights turned out in force at a town hall Monday to oppose a huge solar farm Xcel Energy wants to install in Wisconsin to replace the coal-fired Minnesota facility. Wisconsin GOP Cong. Tom Tiffany hosted the meeting, which the Pioneer Press points out, left no doubt about where he stands on the increasingly controversial Ten Mile Creek Solar Project.

“I forbid anyone to call this a farm,” Tiffany said to a round of applause from the packed room as the residents levied their comments. Those who spoke were strongly against the project.

“It’s an industrial facility,” said Tiffany, who represents Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District.

Xcel has obtained agreements covering approximately 3,000 of the 5,000 acres needed for the 650-megawatt solar installation. By comparison, the 600-megawatt King plant still in operation occupies a 140-acre footprint. While the utility has not released a detailed site plan yet, critics maintain it will take farmland out of production and adversely affect wildlife habitat and the quality of life in the largely rural county.

Inside the auditorium, Paul Kluskowski was one of the many residents who formally levied his concerns. He is concerned about the stability and reliability of solar power, especially such a large outlay in St. Croix County.

“They don’t have to live with their decisions, we do,” Kluskowski told the audience.

Xcel Energy intends to submit the project to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin later this year, followed by public hearings and a permitting process anticipated to last more than a year. At the same time, the regulatory landscape for renewable energy in Washington may be in for a big shake-up under the Trump administration, potentially affecting critical subsidies for green energy. Tiffany is far from alone in his antipathy toward non-baseload energy sources.

Tiffany spoke to the Pioneer Press about Xcel’s plans, saying he doesn’t favor intermittent power sources and that he plans to reintroduce a bill that would end tax credits for solar and wind energy projects on agricultural land. He dubbed it the FARM Act, or the Future Agricultural Retention and Management Act.

Tiffany himself is not a fan of solar and wind power projects, particularly for what he says are “market distorting” tax credits.

“We should stop closing coal plants until we have enough baseload power and electricity that is being produced,” Tiffany said. “We should not be closing coal plants until we know the lights are going to stay on for the people in the Midwest.”

To date, an online Change.org petition opposing the Ten Mile Creek project has received more than 4,750 supporters. Ultimately, however, the state PSC will have the final say on solar in St. Croix County.