Livingston County, IL — Solar Development Risk Assessment

Expired — moratorium late 2022; lifted Mar 2023 after PA 102-1123 state preemption took effect

Livingston County: PA 102-1123 statewide floor: ≥50 ft from property line; ≥150 ft from residence; ≥50 ft from ROW; ≤20 ft height.

Livingston County: CUP or Special Use Permit in Agricultural (A-1) district.

Strongly supportive / revenue-focused

R-majority board; Pantagraph Feb 2023 specifically documents Livingston County moratorium enacted late 2022 — triggered by single 2,000-acre utility-scale permit filing, halting 8-9 FEJA community solar applications; moratorium lifted Mar 2023 after PA 102-1123 preemption; Illinois Environmental Council 2023 hostile list; Nautilus Solar/TurningPoint 29.3 MW portfolio construction announced 2024 — shows pipeline resumed post-moratorium

Stable

Local permit: Special Use Permit (SUP) in A-1 Agricultural zoning via county Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and/or County Board; process and conditions vary by county ordinance. ICC CPCN: Illinois Public Utilities Act §8-406 — Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) Certificate of Public Convenience & Necessity required for ALL generating facilities >2 MW, regardless of local SUP status; ICC process runs parallel to county SUP. PA 102-1123 (signed Jan 27, 2023): Preempts county ordinances that prohibit wind or solar; sets state minimum setback floor of ≥150 ft from non-participating property lines and ≥300 ft from occupied dwellings. Counties may set higher setbacks but not lower; wind/solar bans enacted before 2023 are invalidated. PA 103-0580 (Veto Session fall 2023): Trailer bill reinforcing PA 102-1123 preemption framework; addressed specific county attempts to circumvent preemption. CEJA 2021 (Climate & Equitable Jobs Act): Illinois RPS targets — 40% by 2030, 50% by 2040, 100% clean energy by 2045; IPA Illinois Shines program administers FEJA/CEJA incentive tranches for community and utility-scale solar.

Illinois Adjustable Block Program (Illinois Shines): 15-year SREC contracts for net-metered and community solar projects; administered by IL SHINES program. Solar for All (SFA): low-income community solar program with enhanced incentives. Illinois RPS: 50% renewable by 2040 (Future Energy Jobs Act); solar carve-out drives strong SREC demand. Net metering: available for ≤2 MW behind-the-meter systems (ComEd, Ameren IL). PACE financing: available in many IL counties. HB 4412 (2024): updated solar siting framework; county commission approval required for projects exceeding acreage thresholds in unincorporated areas. Utility: ComEd serves northern IL (Cook + 10 counties); Ameren Illinois serves central/southern IL; electric cooperatives serve rural downstate areas.

8–9 community solar projects filed 2018 under FEJA incentives | 2–10 MW each | Pontiac area TurningPoint/Nautilus community solar | 29.3 MW portfolio (Livingston + Kankakee portions) | Under construction 2024 Moratorium enacted late 2022 through Mar 2023 — lifted per PA 102-1123 preemption analysis Post-moratorium utility-scale pipeline resuming 2023–2024; tighter ordinance conditions apply

County board moratorium enacted late 2022 — triggered by 2,000-acre utility-scale permit filing; 8–9 community solar FEJA applications affected Moratorium lifted Mar 2023 after PA 102-1123 preemption analysis Post-moratorium: tighter ordinance conditions adopted; new utility-scale pipeline resuming 2023–2024 | Source: Pantagraph Feb 2023 [Livingston moratorium cited in Illinois solar policy literature as key case motivating PA 102-1123 passage]