Wind, solar energy to be part of comp plan update

By Kevin O’Brien

Wind and solar power are likely to be part of Marathon County’s updated comprehensive plan in 2026, but with many landowners in the western half of the county strongly opposed to large-scale turbines and panels, the county’s position on renewable energy will almost certainly be a hotly debated topic over the next year.

During a discussion about the upcoming comp plan update at last week’s meeting of the Environmental Resources Committee (ERC), the future prospects for wind, solar and renewable gas in Marathon County were mentioned for possible inclusion in Chapter 5 of the plan, which deals with natural resources.

Laurie Miskimins, director of Conservation, Planning and Zoning (CPZ), said her staff has discussed the possibility of including a new section in Chapter 5 that addresses “expanded interest” in not just renewable gas generated by farm operations, but also wind and solar projects that have been proposed in several rural townships. “We know there’s a lot of interest obviously in these large commercial projects, but we don’t have a lot of data or background to say what’s going on yet,” she said.

Shad Harvey, land resources manager for the CPZ, said none of the proposed wind and solar projects have gotten to the point yet where the developers need to submit a permit application to the county, so the only available information is contained in land leases filed with the register of deeds.

“From my understanding, a lot of those larger projects are still in the land acquisition stage phase or environmental testing, or a combination of both,” he said.

At least one project, Marathon Wind Farm, is tangled up in litigation after EDP Renewables filed a lawsuit against the towns of Brighton and Eau Pleine seeking to nullify the towns’ licensing ordinances, claiming they are more restrictive than what the state allows.

Under Chapter 5’s section on “emerging issues,” Miskimins said wind and solar should be addressed along with changes in farming practices, such as the increased use of drain tile and the impact that has on wetlands. She said the county is also still figuring out the effects of manure digesters and other renewable energy operations on farmland operations.

In regards to climate change, the draft plan points out that warmer temperatures are affecting winter timber sales and outdoor recreation opportunities, particularly when it comes to shorter snowmobile seasons. Miskimins said the state is also advising the county to adapt its conservation and engineering practices.

“We’re being told to change or update those standards and design to handle larger rain events and flooding,” she said. “We’re also preparing for this idea that we’re going to start to see changes in the species in our forests and aquatic systems and accompanying challenges that might come along with that.”

Supervisor John Kroll said he appreciates that the county is taking the issue of climate change seriously, noting that “we are getting warmer and we are getting wetter,” so county officials need to be planning ahead.

“It may benefit us, it may not, but we just need to be prepared,” he said.

Kroll said he’s also interested in how the county can benefit from producing its own energy instead of continuing to pay higher prices from outside power sources. Miskimins said CPZ has already broached that topic in its early comp plan discussions.

“Wind and solar may make an appearance in more than one section of this plan,” she said, mentioning the concerns with the impact on prime farmland but also the potential benefits of energy production.

Jeff Pritchard, a planning analyst at CPZ, said the county could consider incorporating rooftop solar panels into newly constructed buildings or putting up wind turbines on county property “if it’s reasonable and logical to help offset the cost for energy at county facilities.”

“It’s something to take into consideration,” he said.

From a general overview, Miskimins said CPZ staff are still satisfied with the comp plan’s existing goal regarding natural resources, which is to manage them “in a balanced way (so they are protected and preserved) for current and future generations’ health, enjoyment, and economic benefit.”

CPZ’s goal is to get the comp plan updated by February of 2026, a process that starts with each chapter being reviewed by one or more of the county’s standing committees in the first half of 2025.

“Throughout all of that, we will have many points of public engagement, but as we get toward a draft that the county feels more solid with, we’re going to go out and survey the public and bring that back to get that information in there,” she said.

Laurie Miskimins