Senate Bill 52 gave county commissioners the power to establish “exclusion zones”, areas where wind and solar projects are prohibited. This added restrictions and places an unfair burden on renewable energy development, while fossil fuel projects remain largely unaffected.

In July 2025, the Richland County Commissioners passed a ban on siting solar and wind projects in 11 of 18 townships. This ban was passed despite residents attending the commissioners' meeting and sharing their opposition to the resolution.

In most counties where such a ban is in place, it was a response to a proposed project with local opposition. Yet, in Richland County, there are no proposed projects and the commissioners shut the door to development and growth before being presented with a concrete opportunity.

In January 2026, we launched our campaign to educate Richland County voters and urge them to vote NO on May 5, to protect property rights in our county.

Senate Bill 52 gives citizens 30 days to petition to put the resolution on the ballot for voters to decide to either affirm or overturn the solar ban. We collected petition signatures in August 2025. After the board of elections verified that enough signatures of registered Richland County voters had been collected, the issue was scheduled for the May 5, 2026 primary election.