[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6242761,"mediaKeyId","3245265-32a11f42eb50f1362463b8102c75a9fc","parentId",3245265,"title","Champaign County panel delays decision on Donato Solar request to relax decommissioning-financial rules","audioSeconds",1520,"startMs",437000,"endMs",1957000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3245265-32a11f42eb50f1362463b8102c75a9fc&start=437&end=1957","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3245265-32a11f42eb50f1362463b8102c75a9fc/thumbnail_437000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6242761/Champaign-County/Illinois/Champaign-County-panel-delays-decision-on-Donato-Solar-request-to-relax-decommissioning-financial-rules","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6242761-f5a3e6437c05ec6a9750ad1bdd3612db/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143206&Signature=CQE6K6fS5iu2oCZYLBL2pLIMmk31Lb6oLBkAmp1b~4k66J6p7zGonMWzowb5Vg237d5Y307pmsWTEo20Jtrs-PRiQCl1cdhGld8-Qfg~WDx1y9SdGX8O-XjSc1hFXUUYW8b3ger-Apgd-z11Kgw7pr0K~jdnXFN~q7cx6IggXGc4pTbVbOGvi~hBtuFpQf~H0wBX-lE16FsunPutsSQfaLL7QFU6PIg4Z2DKuoGKi3R9EJr-k9GgJk7li8HgrbVklkvPOY22Tw3KdGuUeiyuzrUWJ6x3mXB~Kb5Hf4cvHOQ9Qm4QsBXSetHkZP2qaYKiN0WCzdMi7VeivZH6ffcEqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Champaign County, IL","date","2025-05-09T12:16:13Z","article","The Champaign County Board Environment and Land Use Committee on Thursday reviewed a petition from Donato Solar asking the county to amend its zoning ordinance to remove a minimum bank‑rating requirement for letters of credit and to allow surety or reclamation bonds and escrow accounts as alternative forms of decommissioning financial assurance.

John Hall, staff member, gave the committee background on the ordinance’s origin and said the county’s wind‑farm rules were written to require an A‑rated bank letter of credit after consultations with utilities and developers. Hall said the rule now creates a problem for smaller, local solar developers working with local banks.

Michael Beam, vice president of finance for Gale Technology/Donato Solar, told the committee that the company had been able to secure letters of credit for three previous projects but encountered bank‑rating problems on a fourth. “There are 38 banks that have the required ratings,” Beam said. “We’re happy to put the $35,000 for each of these in an escrow account, and the county can be a cosigner.”

Beam said large national banks that meet the ratings generally “don’t want anything to do with the $35,000” letters of credit for small projects, and that bank ratings have shifted for many institutions since COVID. He described solar arrays as substantially easier to decommission than wind turbines, noting that solar mounts typically go “3 to 6 feet into the ground” compared with the deep foundations for turbines.

Committee members pressed for more information. Dr. Stewart and other members said they wanted a legal opinion from the county’s state’s attorney comparing the protections a letter of credit provides with those from a surety or reclamation bond. Hall said staff had already requested the state’s attorney’s comments on an upcoming waiver request at the zoning board.

Chris (committee member) moved the text amendment be considered; JJ seconded. Committee members declined to take a vote on an ordinance change at the meeting and agreed to await the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) decision on a related waiver and the state’s attorney’s written input before bringing a formal amendment back to the committee.

Members discussed handling expiring letters of credit in the meantime. Hall and committee members said the county could consider case‑by‑case administrative waivers to avoid disrupting an applicant whose existing financial assurance is expiring before a permanent ordinance change is adopted. Hall said staff would bring a formal proposal after the ZBA and after work on other pending text amendments was farther along.

Why it matters: the county’s current drafting effectively requires decommissioning letters of credit from banks with a high rating, a rule developers say favors large banks and larger developers and can impede smaller, local solar projects. Committee members said their main concern is ensuring funds will be available to remove equipment if a project fails, not the specific instrument used to secure that money.

Next steps: staff will report back after the ZBA acts on the pending waiver and after the state’s attorney provides a written opinion; the committee plans to consider a revised text amendment or hybrid approach that preserves beneficiary protections while accommodating smaller local developers.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Champaign County ELUC Meeting - 5/8/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Champaign County Board Environment and Land Use Committee on Thursday reviewed a petition from Donato Solar asking the county to amend its zoning ordinance to remove a minimum bank‑rating requirement for letters of credit and to allow surety or reclamation bonds and escrow accounts as alternative forms of decommissioning financial assurance.","taxTitle","Champaign County, Illinois","taxId",2552,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6242759,"Champaign County committee approves annual MS4 stormwater inspection report, notes limits of county authority",0,2107000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3245265-32a11f42eb50f1362463b8102c75a9fc&start=2107&end=2107","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3245265-32a11f42eb50f1362463b8102c75a9fc/thumbnail_2107000.jpg","/articles/6242759/Champaign-County/Illinois/Champaign-County-committee-approves-annual-MS4-stormwater-inspection-report-notes-limits-of-county-authority","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6242759-418fba64a904aa162a1d732377ce8730/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143206&Signature=RjfOQFkkFouqZrlJV5oMwocWJ-PCHOnSgeuIMBlGji22iRgnM8vRoZmHuM85weEJLP0RbRiDuZ5BabUB2EDanr6Jt7THfshejj1i7fuzyjLwDPAlYbhNaSfZet~l8urme0842x-fEbq3WPSHRzr4KGLTZgTV~6AeNA9byxITzWyCr3h32wby-b~sbL8qYBeQxbVT-F47wk0TPMkNUJxAlR421QatUxvGrdmwH6jFEfXLJB1sx~UEjGum2ULF6T1aE4mhnTSCnMpPmtokACPBv0KK0edLHYUZyaT6zv2qYJQOsGpkWoWxBJT9iiPmjLwCRM91Rw1wegI-3Z-b~9OSRw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Champaign County Board Environment and Land Use Committee on Thursday approved the annual facility inspection report for the county’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

John Hall, staff member, told the committee the department completed the county’s stormwater survey for the past year and submitted results in the packet. Hall said most of the stormwater issues identified are on local streets, not county highways, and therefore fall outside the county’s direct maintenance authority. “We couldn’t do anything about these stormwater issues if we wanted to because they’re not our streets,” Hall said.

Hall said the county’s approach to environmental‑justice mapping for the MS4 was noted favorably during an IEPA audit and that staff will work with the Regional Planning Commission and RPC staffer Gabe Lewis to make next year’s maps easier to read on the street network. Committee members also discussed adding an MS4 overlay to the local GIS consortium so the public can view the county’s MS4 boundary.

Chris (committee member) moved approval of the annual facility inspection report; Storrs seconded. The motion carried without objection.

Why it matters: the MS4 report documents the county’s stormwater activities required under the IEPA NPDES permit. Committee members said improving maps and public GIS layers will help residents and local jurisdictions understand where stormwater problems are located and which entities have responsibility for on‑the‑ground repairs.

Next steps: staff will work with the RPC to improve map readability for next year’s report and will pursue adding the MS4 boundary as a GIS layer for public access.","The Environment & Land Use Committee approved the county’s annual NPDES MS4 municipal stormwater inspection report, discussed environmental‑justice mapping and noted that most identified stormwater problems are on local streets the county does not maintain.","actionData","errors"]

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Champaign County panel delays decision on Donato Solar request to relax decommissioning-financial rules

Champaign County committee approves annual MS4 stormwater inspection report, notes limits of county authority