Commission vote on solar farm in Wagoner County set for June 16

The Wagoner County Commission heard more public comments Monday about a proposed solar farm near Porter. The commission is considering a permit that would allow Nextera Energy Resources to build a 241 megawatt solar facility that would supply power for the grid through a PSO substation.

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With Commissioner Tim Kelley absent, Commissioners James Hanning and Randy Stamps heard from some neighbors opposed to the project, on grounds ranging from the changing view to the environmental impact. The commission intends to vote on June 16th.

Lori West, of Porter, complained that power for the grid wouldn't stay local.

"We get all the junk, but someone else gets to reap the benefits," she said.

She said her neighbors have signed a lease for the project, and she doesn't like how it would change the landscape.

"Right now, when I drive to the end of my driveway, I see lush green fields and I see cattle grazing. This is not throw-away land."

Nextera has detailed environmental plans in their permitting documents that say the project will be designed around much of the existing trees and waterways.

"We're designing it to minimize our impact on the environmental areas of the project," said Bryce Kuhn, a Project Developer with Nextera. "A lot of these panels won't be able to be seen from the road because they'll be hidden by already existing foliage," he said.

Nextera says it has signed leases with all the property owners needed for the project, on land between Porter and the Arkansas River, with panels and related infrastructure scattered over several square miles.

Nextera claims the project will have a minimal impact on the neighbors, while generating an estimated $31 million of new taxes over the initial 30 years of power generation.

Brenda Livesay, a longtime school board member in Porter, who also has signed a land lease with Nextera, said, "For Porter, this is our big chance right now. There's nothing else coming in right now."

She said the windfall of new taxes would allow the district to build new buildings to modernize and expand so it can meet the needs of new students coming into the district.

"It would be a big boost in what we could do for the students in our community," she said.