Board Approves Moonshine Solar Decommissioning Deal Exceeding State Minimum

Spread the love

Clark County Board Meeting | April 17, 2026

Article Summary: The Clark County Board on Friday, April 17, 2026, approved a decommissioning agreement for the Moonshine Solar project under which the developer will post 100% financial assurance beginning at the building permit stage — well ahead of the state statutory schedule. The agreement is to be re-evaluated every five years at the developer’s cost.

Moonshine Solar Decommissioning Key Points:

  • The board approved the Moonshine Solar decommissioning agreement resolution, carried on the agenda as Resolution 2026-R02.
  • Attorney Andrew Keyt said state statute requires only 10% financial assurance for the first six years, 50% through year 11, and 100% thereafter. Moonshine has agreed to post 100% from the building permit stage.
  • The agreement is to be re-evaluated every five years, at a cost to the developer.
  • The vote was unanimous among members present.

CLARK COUNTY — The Clark County Board on Friday, April 17, 2026, approved a decommissioning agreement for the Moonshine Solar project that requires the developer to post full financial assurance years earlier than state law demands.

Andrew Keyt, the attorney representing the county on wind and solar ordinances and projects, updated the board on the resolution before the vote. Keyt said the Moonshine project is getting close to starting and will need a building permit in the future. One of the requirements imposed on the project was to have a decommissioning plan and financial assurance.

Under the state statute’s minimum requirement, Keyt said, a developer only has to post 10% for the first six years, then 50% up to year 11, and after that 100%. Moonshine has agreed to post 100% from the building permit stage. Keyt told the board the agreement is favorable to the county, and that it will be re-evaluated every five years, at a cost to the developer.

The minutes do not record the dollar amount of the financial assurance, the size or location of the project, the name of the developer, or the form the assurance will take.

The motion to approve was made by board member Brandon Burkybile and seconded by board member Mike Parsons. The chairman put the question, and upon the roll being taken all members present voted aye. Chairman Rex Goble declared the motion adopted. The minutes note an attachment to the item; the attachment was not included in the materials available for this report.

Decommissioning plans and financial assurance requirements generally govern how a solar site is removed and the land restored once a project reaches the end of its life, and how the money to do that work is guaranteed in advance.

The Moonshine project surfaced a second time later in the meeting. Under new and old business during the highway discussion, County Engineer Dallas Richardson told the board that the Moonshine Solar Farm road repairs were having the culverts delivered that day, so that work would be starting soon. The minutes carry no further detail on the road repairs — no cost, no roads named, and no schedule.

The board’s action on the Moonshine agreement came the same morning it tabled amended solar and wind ordinances on its attorney’s advice, and heard from a second developer that a new solar special use application is coming within the month. The minutes do not describe any relationship between the Moonshine project and those matters.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Illinois Quick Hits: Pritzker pushes for E15

Illinois Quick Hits: Pritzker pushes for E15

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is asking leaders of the U.S. House on Environment and Public Works Committee...
Clark County Graphic.5

Clark County Ambulance Service Faces Critical Level Zero Instances Amid Medicaid Collection Issues

Clark County Board Meeting | February 20, 2026 Article Summary: The Clark County Ambulance Service reported hitting "level zero" availability six times over a single weekend, while simultaneously navigating revenue...
Trump addresses nation on Iran strikes; signals conflict nearing end

Trump addresses nation on Iran strikes; signals conflict nearing end

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square Just over a month after Operation Epic Fury began, President Donald Trump Wednesday proclaimed U.S. strikes on Iran are nearing completion, while telling allies to...
IL biometrics privacy reforms apply to past cases, too: Appeals court

IL biometrics privacy reforms apply to past cases, too: Appeals court

By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square Pending class action lawsuits under Illinois' stringent biometrics privacy law may have become significantly less lucrative, after a federal appeals court declared...
Artemis II heads to the moon with first crewed mission since 1972

Artemis II heads to the moon with first crewed mission since 1972

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square America is going back to the moon, after Artemis II lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday evening, more than five decades after Americans last...
Pro-life org to Trump: Taxpayers should not be forced to fund killing of unborn children

Pro-life org to Trump: Taxpayers should not be forced to fund killing of unborn children

By Tate MillerThe Center Square The Trump administration’s decision to send tax dollars to the abortion industry by continuing former President Joe Biden’s Title X grant awards to Planned Parenthood...
Birthright citizenship advocates confident in SCOTUS hearing

Birthright citizenship advocates confident in SCOTUS hearing

By Emily RodriguezThe Center Square Advocates cheered after the Supreme Court heard a case to determine the constitutional validity of President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship. Dozens...
College funding bill draws dissent from big Illinois universities

College funding bill draws dissent from big Illinois universities

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Lawmakers questioned Illinois university leaders about a contentious bill that adjusts how new money is allocated to...
Illinois quick hits: Chicago announces $300 million housing spend; Rockford men faces cocaine trafficking charges; State to honor troopers killed in the ling of duty

Illinois quick hits: Chicago announces $300 million housing spend; Rockford men faces cocaine trafficking charges; State to honor troopers killed in the ling of duty

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Chicago announces $300 million housing spend Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Housing say they will invest more than...
Pentagon commits to tripling Patriot missile production at $4 million per

Pentagon commits to tripling Patriot missile production at $4 million per

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Boeing is partnering with the Department of War to triple its production of seekers for Patriot missiles, according to a joint announcement Wednesday. The U.S....
Supreme Court appears skeptical of Trump's birthright citizenship order

Supreme Court appears skeptical of Trump’s birthright citizenship order

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday scrutinized President Donald Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship, raising skeptical questions in a pivotal hearing. The justices heard...
Advocates urge stable tariff policy, protections against China

Advocates urge stable tariff policy, protections against China

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Advocates sparred Wednesday over the Trump administration’s trade and national security policy, particularly with concerns over China. Advocates and experts gathered at the American Institute...
Illinois senators scrutinize diversity commission's high salaries, poor performance

Illinois senators scrutinize diversity commission’s high salaries, poor performance

By Jared Strong | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) -- An Illinois state senator, responding to an investigation by The Center Square, suggested Wednesday that the state's...
Trump demands second 'big beautiful bill' on his desk by June 1

Trump demands second ‘big beautiful bill’ on his desk by June 1

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Seven weeks into the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, President Donald Trump is working with Republican congressional leaders to craft a party-line budget reconciliation bill...
ALEC: State regulations drive up electricity prices

ALEC: State regulations drive up electricity prices

By Alton WallaceThe Center Square Electricity prices and other measures of consumer energy affordability are highest in states with the most extensive policy mandates, compliance requirements, and the most rigid...