The effort to ban large solar facilities and wind farms is growing in Columbiana County.

County Commissioners on Wednesday scheduled an August 2nd public hearing on requests to enact a ban on the energy apparatus in unincorporated areas of Elkrun, Hanover, Knox, and Madison Townships.

The hearing, scheduled for 9:10 a.m. at the commissioner’s office, will receive testimony from the public about the proposal.

Commissioners are also soliciting written testimony that may be submitted to their office at 105 South Market Street, Lisbon.

Under an Ohio law that went into effect on October 11, 2021, the board of county commissioners may adopt a resolution designating all or part of the unincorporated area of a county as a restricted area, prohibiting the construction of an economically significant wind farm, a large wind farm and a large solar facility.

In May, commissioners approved a resolution to limit the construction of large wind and solar farms in Butler, Center, Middleton, Salem, Unity, Washington, and Wayne townships.

Fairfield, Franklin, Perry, and West townships also have bans in place.

The prohibitions do not impact plans by Kensington Solar of Ontario, Canada to build a solar farm on more than 2,000 acres of land in Franklin Township.

Kensington's plans to install more than 300,000 solar panels on 2,2064 acres being leased from private landowners was filed with the Ohio Power Siting Board before the new law went into effect.