IMPORTANT DATES/INFORMATION

PZC Hearing for US Solar, USS Talamh Solar, LLC, proposal for 90-acre solar facility at Stuenkel Rd., Green Garden Twp., 5:30 p.m., Will County Office Building, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet, Illinois. (Case ZC-26-017).

Solar developers are networking with Earthrise to destabilize rural southern Will County for conversion to solar/solar battery fields and industrial use.  The 3rd Appellate District ruling by Judge John Anderson was meant to silence objection to the new 2023 State solar law that denies County Boards any discretion over solar development sites, even though the required public hearing may establish an ill-advised location.

The subsequent ruling by Will County Circuit Court Judge Braun to re-institute solar projects denied in Will County was meant to further demoralize the rural communities and grant the solar industry an unprecedented 100% control over local land use.

However, these draconian rulings have backfired, galvanizing bi-partisan opposition to the State solar law as being unconsitutional, demanding a return to discretion over solar project locations by County decision-makers.  While Will County accepted many solar projects, they consistently rejected project sites that interfered with existing or future rural residential growth.  However, the traditional zoning safeguards, found in County ordinances and often referred to as “LaSalle factors,” have been abolished to grant the solar industry 100% control over where solar projects are located.

Resident signature petitions opposing US Solar were already submitted for inclusion in the County staff report.  A formal letter of objection to the project by Green Garden Township Supervisor Dean Christofilos was also submitted to the official public record.

Residents are encouraged to utilize this meeting’s public comment period to raise objections.  Attorney Steve Becker will preserve legal and constitutional objections for potential litigation, and the Watershed Committee will raise issues of lack of project suitability.  However, highlighting the project’s interference with existing and future rural residential growth is key and should be emphasized.

Given any lack of recourse other than the existing unconstitional solar laws, the WCB will likely approve the US Solar project.  But, Erinwood and Green Garden Section 11 residents now have an opportunity to protect their area by challenging this poorly-crafted state statute through litigation, before more Green Garden Township farmland is lost.  Municipalities and county officials throughout the State of Illinois are contacting attorney Steven Becker, watching the events in Green Garden Township and Will County that will ultimately affect their regions.

In an unprecedented move to slow the behemoth Earthrise Solar mega-site project, proposed to cover 6,100 acres and span a 45-square mile footprint in three townships, Attorney Steven Becker filed a lawsuit on behalf of 16 local residents, along with a request for a Temporary Restraining Order preventing an April WCB vote on the project.  This effort was not a mere technicality, but an opportunity to require a meaningful cross-examination with Earthrise representatives, and to build a public record to oppose the incomplete application, if necessary, for future litigation.  Will County Circuit Court Judge Victoria Breslan agreed with Attorney Becker’s objections and granted the Temporary Restraining Order.  Cross-examination will be held on May 12, 2026 at 5:30 pm, at the Joliet Renaissance Center, 214 N. Ottawa Street, Joliet, IL 60432.  According to Will County officials, there will be no public comment period, and the meeting will be restricted to cross-examination of Earthrise representatives by Attorney Steven Becker on behalf of his clients. The public is encouraged to attend this special meeting.

Attorney Becker has begun incurring out-of-pocket costs regarding the Temporary Restraining Order case.  Once the scope of litigation regarding the Earthrise mega-solar project and challenge to State and County solar laws has been determined, a local fundraiser will be planned.  Many residents have asked to contribute donations to help with the costs of litigation, as Attorney Becker and his law firm are offering their legal services free of charge to the rural communities impacted by the Earthrise project.  Further details will be forthcoming.

It is often forgotten that Gov. Pritzker began courting data centers to come to Illinois to compensate for the mass exodus of industry leaving Illinois due to its excessive taxation of businesses.  By this year, Pritzker’s efforts accelerated Illinois to the 4th highest state in the nation with 225 data centers.  Pritzker championed the nearby 800-acre Hillwood Data Center project recently approved by the City of Joliet.  Although the 1800 MW site will require the electricity equivalent of every home in Chicago in order to operate, Pritzker offered no explanation as to where the power to run the Hillwood Data Center would come from.

Pritzker and his surrogates are now asserting that the solar industry will solve the energy crisis he and his data center allies created.  But, this publicity campaign is a complete fraud.  When a solar project alleges it will power 50,000 or 100,000 homes “to keep the lights on,” it will only do so for 2-3 hours a day, in optimal conditions.  Solar fields only offer a brief window of power in a 24-hour period.  They cannot replace on-demand, always-available energy sources, like natural gas, coal or nuclear, which actually provide 90% of Illinois power.  Plus, solar fields consume 200-300 times more farmland than is needed by any traditional, reliable energy source.

The extraordinay powers granted the solar industry in Illinois over local residents and county decision-makers appear to be nothing more than Gov. Pritzker securing guarranteed renewable investments for his donor class as he pursues his political ambitions for the Presidency.

The billionaire class, like the Pritzker family, with an octopus of complicit elitist corporations, are treating our historic rural communities like crumbs to be swept off the table.  However, our homes, our farmsteads, and our lifetime property investments, are worth fighting for.  Our quality of life and rural lifestyles are priceless, meriting our vigilent protection.  We hope you will continue to support our community efforts to save Green Garden and other rural Townships from these opportunistic predators, as we fight to preserve our rural area for the future.

Amidst the tumultuous meetings on the Hillwood Data Center and the Earthrise Mega-Solar sites in March, I began experiencing severe lower back pain.  In early April, I was admitted to the hospital, where an obstruction to my digestive system resulted in major surgery, along with a cancer diagnosis with discovery of a malignant tumor.  I humbly ask for your prayers of healing during this difficult time. Due to my health conditions, I’ve been unable to respond to so many recent texts, inquiries and emails.  My brother Jeff will replace me as Watershed Committee Chairman, aided by many dedicated Committee members who have been actively involved with recent events.

Sincerely,

Tom Becker