![]() There seemed to be a lot of support for it.” “We received support from the Marquette County Board of Commissioners, the Marquette County Planning Commission, the Superior Watershed Partnership and Cliffs, of course. We had over 60 letters of support and several more signatures. “We had a petition of 80 signatures for non supporters and maybe five or six letters. Yelle also issued assurances that all of the legal requirements highlighted in the Open Meetings Act of 1976, and amended this year to allow for electronic meetings due to the pandemic, were followed.īoth Sands Township and Savion encouraged public participation via mail, email and phone ahead of the meeting, and Yelle told The Mining Journal on Friday that the response was certainly mixed. Sands Township zoning administrator Randy Yelle stated in a Mining Journal article last week that the township didn’t have the right to refuse the meeting, as Savion forked up the money to hold it. Residents were also displeased with the virtual format of Tuesday’s meeting, arguing it should have been postponed until COVID-19 was contained enough to allow the public to gather in one room to discuss the controversial project. Although the project sits on Cliffs’ private property, the land is often used for recreational purposes, made possible by the Commercial Forest Land agreement which allows for public use of the area. Several residents voiced concerns on social media about the potential of decreased recreational opportunities, contamination of the Sands Plain Aquifer and a negative impact on wildlife and the surrounding environment. The project has been met with a mixed reaction from the community. Officials say it is expected to bring $15 million to $20 million in new property taxes to the local economy over its 30-year lifespan, along with 200 temporary construction jobs and two to four permanent full-time jobs. The project involves an estimated capital investment of $100 million to $150 million. The solar farm is expected to be capable of powering around 35,000 homes. The project, headed by Savion, LLC, of Kansas City, Missouri, is expected to produce 149.7 megawatts of power, serving the Midcontinent Independent System Operator power grid into the Dead River-Arnold 345 kilovolt line. property southwest of the intersection of Marquette County Road 480 and M-553. The planning commission voted to approve a special-use permit for the Superior Solar Project, which will be located on Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.
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