East Palestine derailment damaged my farm, open my eyes. Ohio needs solar programs

Steve Mondak is an Ohio family farmer and youth facilitator at the Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association.

When a freight train derailed last year, spilling hazardous materials into the atmosphere, it damaged my farm, and it opened my mind.

As an Ohio farmer, I have always been a conservationist. But the environmental devastation from an incident that took place five miles from my farm taught me the importance of taking better care of our planet — and made me appreciate the value of clean energy.

That’s why I support House Bill 197. Sponsored by James Hoops, R-Napoleon, and Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, HB 197 is a bipartisan legislative proposal to establish a pilot program for community solar. It would benefit family farmers like me and represent a meaningful step toward a healthier environment.

My family resides on a 101-acre general use farm near East Palestine. We maximize yield on timber and firewood, we have hayfields for livestock feed production, and we keep a flock of chickens for eggs. 

I used to maintain an apiary to produce honey, beeswax and propolis, but after the derailment in February of 2023, my bees were killed off and I can no longer sell honey. 

Property values have plummeted, and we worry about the potential health effects that we may suffer as a result of the disaster. There is no data to predict the long-term human effects of a catastrophe of this magnitude as a result of drinking the well water or breathing the air. 

So, while we monitor our own health, I want to play a part in creating a healthier environment.

I am reminded of a family trip taken down Route 23 through the coalfields of eastern Kentucky several years ago. We stopped the truck on top of a mountain road. I was shocked to see that from horizon to horizon was an absolute wasteland, devoid of even a blade of grass. It looked like a nuclear bomb had been dropped, when in fact, it was just the result of mountaintop removal coal mining. 

When I recall that, and when I think about what happened in my own community, finding a cleaner form of energy production just makes good sense. 

A bit larger than the solar systems you put on your roof, and a lot smaller than the giant industrial solar farms many utilities are contracting with, community solar facilities are local, and bring lots of local benefits as well.

These solar projects are shared by multiple community subscribers who receive credit on their electricity bills for their share of the renewable power produced. The business model builds a more resilient electric grid and expands access to energy choice for all, including low-to-moderate-income customers and those who don’t have the means or the freedom to place panels on their homes or businesses.

As a rural landowner, I canhost a community solar farm, and if the General Assembly passes HB 197, I would be encouraged to do so.

Other farmers will, too. It can be a struggle to make ends meet on a small family farm when seed and fertilizer need to be purchased and when equipment needs to be repaired or replaced. By hosting a community solar farm, Ohio farmers can secure new sources of income to ensure their continued vitality while providing much-needed relief to our rural economy.

Community solar doesn’t just offer a financial opportunity to harvest a new solar crop. It will also bring exciting and rewarding jobs, economic development and new tax revenue to my small rural community.

HB 197 supports energy independence by encouraging the development of new homegrown energy sources for Ohioans. It would create a pilot project offering subscribers help and support to obtain benefits from new renewable, less expensive energy sources. It would also enable Ohio businesses to access the benefits of renewable energy generated in Ohio, instead of leaving them to purchase energy from neighboring states.

As my community deals with the aftermath of the train derailment, environmental protection has taken on a new meaning. If Ohio can empower consumers with the choice for low-cost energy from nonpolluting solar farms, why wouldn’t we?

Steve Mondak is an Ohio family farmer and youth facilitator at the Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association.