By: Tracy Sabetta, Ohio Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: January 2025
About: Eastern Cottontail Solar Project, Case #24-0495-EL-BGN
To: Ohio Power Siting Board
Solar energy generation in Ohio is on the rise. With efforts happening at the municipal level in Cincinnati, at the regional level in Cuyahoga County, and on family farms across the state, the potential for solar development is growing by leaps and bounds.
In fact, once the currently approved large-scale solar projects in Ohio are operational, they will yield enough electricity to power the equivalent of more than 1 million Ohio homes with clean, renewable sunshine.
At Moms Clean Air Force, we are always working to protect the well-being of our children and future generations. We are a national organization with state chapters whose mission is to protect children from air pollution and climate change. We envision a safe, stable, and equitable future where all children breathe clean air. We are more than 90,000 members strong in Ohio. Many of those advocates, including myself, are residents of Fairfield County. And we are ready to see more investment in solar energy generation right here in our backyards.
The Eastern Cottontail Solar Project is a proposed 220-megawatt solar development in Fairfield County that will benefit landowners by providing them with a steady source of income by diversifying their revenue streams. It also helps contribute to a cleaner environment, create local jobs, and support sustainable energy development in our state.
For the 2,623 Fairfield County children who fight asthma every day, it will mean a reduction in the harmful pollution that causes them to check the air quality alerts each morning to see if it is safe for them to go outside. It will mean that we care enough about them to look toward the future and not cling to polluting energy generation methods of the past.
We can do that by increasing the amount of energy generated in the state through solar production. As we face the need to increase our energy supply, we should always keep an eye toward supporting energy production that is local and clean, and base our decisions on facts and data.
In our work, we spend a lot of time thinking about ways to make the future safer, healthier, and more prosperous for our kids. By also changing the way we think about energy production and investing in solar, we will be one step closer to achieving those goals and giving our kids a reason to make Ohio their home for years to come.
Moms Clean Air Force urges the Ohio Power Siting Board to approve this project and help bring solar energy to Fairfield County.