I am a licensed landscape architect who owns a design business and practices in Virginia. I am also a registered democrat. I am deeply disturbed by the proposal eliminating special use permits for solar farms in the state of Virginia. This decision should be at the county and city levels, not the jurisdiction of the state. Each site is individual, with different viewsheds, flora, fauna, stormwater considerations. While I am entirely for green energy, we must do the research and not allow corporations to money grab these contracts at the detriment to our environment. Please do what is right and allow counties, cities and townships to make their own decisions regarding ways to control solar installations in their areas. Special use permits seem the correct approach… for now. I want more rigorous control and oversight on these types of development, but more on that in my next letter. Best, Anna Boeschenstein 5489 Secretarys Sand Rd. Esmont, VA 22937

I and many of my neighbors in Page Cohnty (of both political parties) are extremely upset that several of my fellow Democrats in Richmond are attempting to conspire with the solar industry to eliminate the ability for localities to determine their own land use policies. Under the 4% provision in SB296, more than 8,000 acres of prime agricultural land (not including supporting infrastructure) could be lost forever. The impact on tourism will be desastaring to our economy and the natural beauty and rural quality of life will be lost. This is a giveaway to a solar industry that has been defeated in many localities for good reason. The devastation to our natural beauty aside, there are countless Native American sacred sites, including many burial sites, that will be desecrated. I urge you to resist the pressure from the industry and allow the citizens in local jurisdictions to determine their own land use policies as has been the case since our founding.

This is in regards to any solar bills, or bills to remove county level permitting rights. It's unethical to continue down this ridiculous electric energy path. This isn't a replacement for fossil fuels, it just causes the same problems plus more, than data centers. It's weak expensive energy, and has nothing to do with benefiting the environment. The narrative supporting this is fraudulent but still gets used. Common sense would tell us not to dump trillions $$ into a foreign controlled electric energy (China monopolizes manufacturing, foreign land leases) when all the politicians keep saying the electric grid is stressed but apparently our politicians seem more focused on the money grab then caring for Virginia's energy needs, environment or well-being if Virginia citizens. Any politician saying industrial solar is clean and better than "dirty energy" is either misled, ignorant or corrupt. Cherry picking data to support that narrative is deceptive to Virginians. The carbon footprint on industrial solar contradicts policy narratives reducing carbon. Even yellen admitted it was just a financial investment- so why are politicians and solar companies, environmental groups and politicians still lying to the public? By pushing bills like this you endanger our poorest communities because they won't be able to vote themselves away from this financial trainwreck. Any politician supporting this will be remembered for weakening Virginia and industrializing our land and oceans with this dangerous weak electric energy experiment.

Any decisions on allowing solar panel “farms” MUST remain with the locality, regardless of how many acres are already in production.

 Dear Legislators, I am a citizen and resident of Page county,Virginia. We have spent the last 4 years crafting an ordinance to address the industrial solar issue here in the Shenandoah Valley. We feel that our ordinance both protects our county and citizens from rampant predatory developers who do not live here,and have will not have to live with the huge industrial power plants that they want to impose on our farmland. This bill, which absolutely removes the local authority from the siting process, is being driven by representatives who also do not live here. When reps elected by one district seek to impose their will on others who do not reside in their district, that is the definition of tyranny in it's base form. To have the SCC, who are NOT elected by the citizens, choose arbitrarily to permit industrial facilities that will not impact them but have life changing consequences for those on the receiving end,is unconscionable. These bills would not exist except for the fact that rural communities have shown that these huge installations do not fit into our comprehensive plans or way of life and we are not blindly accepting the destruction of our beautiful valley for the shell game that is industrial solar and wind. To quote Warren Buffet..." if it were not for the federal subsidies,these projects could not exist". There is a very small percentage of Earth's surface suitable for growing food, but many areas to place solar facilities that will not impact farmland. Until all the data centers,government buildings,schools,brownfields and parking lots are covered with solar panels, please stay off the agricultural land, and leave the decisions to the folks who live here. Thank you! Kenneth A Jemielity 1721 US Highway 340 N Luray,Va. 22835 Sent from my iPad