Will County Land Use Committee Splits Votes on Massive Earthrise Solar Projects Amid Intense Public Opposition

Will County Board Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | April 2, 2026

Article Summary: The Will County Land Use and Development Committee on Tuesday faced a marathon session dominated by two massive solar farm proposals from Earthrise Energy, ultimately advancing the 2,258-acre Plum Valley Solar project while deadlocking on the 6,099-acre Pride of the Prairie Solar project.

Plum Valley and Pride of the Prairie Solar Key Points:

• Zoning Case ZC-25-139 (Plum Valley Solar), covering approximately 2,258 acres across Monee, Crete, Washington, and Will townships, was approved in a 4-2 vote with two added conditions.

• Zoning Case ZC-25-129 (Pride of the Prairie Solar), spanning roughly 6,099 acres in Manhattan, Green Garden, and Wilton townships, failed in a 3-3 tie vote.

• Recent state appellate court rulings severely limit the county’s ability to deny solar projects that meet statutory requirements, hanging the threat of litigation over the proceedings.

• Both projects drew hours of fierce public comment, dividing residents concerned about farmland loss and local control from union workers advocating for the substantial job creation guaranteed by Project Labor Agreements.

The Will County Board Land Use and Development Committee on Tuesday, April 2, 2026, advanced one massive commercial solar energy facility while stalling another following hours of contentious public testimony that pitted rural preservationists against union labor forces.

The committee voted 4-2 to approve Zoning Case ZC-25-139, the Plum Valley Solar project, which spans roughly 2,258 acres in Monee, Crete, Washington, and Will townships. Board Members Sherry Newquist, Herbert Brooks Jr., Dawn Bullock, and Destinee Ortiz voted in favor, while Judy Ogalla and Raquel Mitchell voted against.

However, the larger proposal—Zoning Case ZC-25-129, known as the Pride of the Prairie Solar project, which covers approximately 6,099 acres across Manhattan, Green Garden, and Wilton townships—failed to pass after a 3-3 tie. Bullock joined Ogalla and Mitchell in voting no. Despite the committee’s votes, both applications will move forward to the full Will County Board for a final, binding decision.

The votes were conducted under the heavy shadow of state law. Assistant State’s Attorney Erica Hamer advised the committee prior to public comment that a recent Third District Appellate Court ruling (Equity Solar Illinois LLC v. County of Grundy) essentially rendered the county’s approval of solar special use permits a “ministerial act” rather than a discretionary one. If a developer meets the statutory requirements, the county “shall grant” the permit.

“The state of Illinois has put us in a very, very bad spot,” stated County Board Speaker Joe VanDuyne, who is not on the committee but spoke to the audience. “We want to listen to the municipalities. We want to work with the townships… However, this county board is put in a very, very bad situation. If you want change, it has to come from Springfield.”

Residents from Green Garden, Manhattan, and Wilton townships argued the applications from Earthrise Energy were woefully incomplete, particularly regarding Army Corps of Engineers wetland delineations, FEMA floodplain maps, and road use agreements.

“They have not come to us with a road use agreement. And to say anything different of that is a complete lie,” said Wilton Township Highway Commissioner Ray Nugent Jr. “I have 51 miles of gravel road… I will have mud roads by the time this is done.”

Earthrise Energy representatives countered that the applications strictly followed Will County’s zoning ordinance. Graham McFall, Environmental Director for Earthrise, noted that formal Army Corps jurisdictional determinations are required during the site development building permit phase, not during the special use application phase.

“I am not going to let this be the first one where we do not have proper authorization from the Army Corps of Engineers or any federal, state, or county regulatory body,” McFall assured the committee.

The labor community was also heavily represented but notably fractured. Representatives from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), and the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) strongly supported the project, citing Earthrise’s commitment to a 100% union workforce. Conversely, representatives from the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council opposed the project, arguing Earthrise had refused to sit down with them and excluded their 4,000 local members from the Project Labor Agreement (PLA).

“We are not going to be intimidated into breaking that commitment that we made,” responded Rob Kalbouss, Director of Development at Earthrise, regarding the PLA with the “Tri-Trades.” “We do not abandon our values no matter how much we’re threatened.”

Before the final votes, Committee Member Judy Ogalla successfully attached two binding conditions to both special use permits. The first requires that all fire lanes be constructed of gravel rather than grass pavers, a request she said originated directly from local fire chiefs. The second requires Earthrise to fully execute a road use agreement with each of the township road districts and post any required surety bonds prior to the commencement of construction or the issuance of a site development permit.

A third amendment proposed by Ogalla, which would have required Earthrise to plant a specific type of arborvitae for vegetative screening around non-participating residences during the construction phase, failed on a 3-3 vote after Earthrise objected, calling the mandate “unworkable” for such a vast, open-space project.

Board Member Raquel Mitchell expressed deep frustration over the long-term economic trade-offs of the developments. Citing the project’s own economic impact analysis for the Plum Valley site, Mitchell noted that the facility would only yield a handful of permanent jobs once operational.

“You’re asking us to give up 9,000 acres… for 2.2 jobs under $30,000,” Mitchell said, looking at the Earthrise team. “You shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t be in this room. You should be down in Springfield talking to your governor and your state reps and your state senators.”