Buckingham County just voted to approve a Special Use Permit for a utility-scale solar project on 2,000 acres owned by the Weyerhaeuser company, which currently uses that land as a tree farm. The project is slated to produce 149.5 MW of energy, which is 0.5 MW under the threshold set by the General Assembly for more rigorous review by the State Corporation Commission.

The land intended for the project is within the James River watershed, which itself is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Concerned residents have pointed out that massive stormwater runoff problems have plagued other solar projects in the state, including one in Louisa County. The Daily Progress published this opinion-editorial last week, urging the Board of Supervisors to slow down the review process so that all aspects of the projects can be reviewed carefully.