Core details
Date: Monday, April 20, 2026
Meeting focus: McKean County solar ordinance
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Grange Building, McKean County Fairgrounds, 7172 Route 46, Smethport, PA 16749
⚠️ RWE’S LAWYER THREATENED LEGAL ACTION IF McKEAN COUNTY ADOPTS STRONGER PROTECTIONS — READ THEIR OWN WORDS BELOW ⚠️
This meeting is happening while developers are actively pushing back against stronger protections.
This is one of the meetings that matters most right now. County-level ordinance language can shape how future solar projects are reviewed, how strong local protections will be, and whether McKean County is prepared to defend itself from bad deals.
If the county adopts stronger language, it can help protect residents and townships. If the language is weak, vague, or watered down, it can leave McKean County exposed when big projects come in fast and push hard.
According to the legal notice, the McKean County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Monday, April 20, 2026 at 6:00 PM in the Grange Building at the McKean County Fairgrounds, 7172 Route 46, Smethport, PA 16749. The purpose of the hearing is to consider adoption of a proposed addendum to the county Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance to regulate the siting, construction, operation, and decommissioning of utility-scale solar energy facilities and battery energy storage systems, including standalone BESS.
This is not the kind of meeting residents should ignore and hope somebody else handles. The people who benefit from weak rules do not stay home. If residents want stronger protections, they need to show up before decisions are finalized — not after.
These are not suggestions — these are enforceable requirements that developers are pushing back against.
If these protections are weakened, waived, or avoided, McKean County — not the developer — carries the long-term risk.
Based on the proposed McKean County Solar & Energy Storage Ordinance (April 2026 draft)
These are direct quotes from communications obtained through a Right-to-Know request. This is not spin, not opinion, not social media — this is what is actually being said in emails and legal letters.
Read the full document here: McKean County RTK Documents – RWE Stargazer Communications (2026) →
“We discussed this with our counsel and he advised that we would be grandfathered in. We want to confirm that we are all on the same page. That is why we would like a letter similar to the Energix letter.”
“I don't believe you are suggesting that a yet to be adopted ordinance would apply to us.”
Source: McKean County RTK Documents – Email from Evan Good on Ordinance Applicability
“If the County adopts and attempts to impose the Solar Amendment… RWE has no choice but to seek declaratory and injunctive relief.”
Source: McKean County RTK Documents – RWE Legal Threat Letter (March 20, 2026)
“RWE will also evaluate whether there are causes of action against the individual Commissioners… in their individual and official capacities.”
Source: McKean County RTK Documents – RWE Legal Threat Language
Download the ICS file below to save this meeting directly to Apple Calendar, Outlook, Google Calendar, Android calendars, and other calendar apps. The file is set for Monday, April 20, 2026 at 6:00 PM Eastern with the meeting location included.
If you cannot attend in person, you can still speak up. Use the editable message below to email the McKean County Commissioners and tell them you support a strong solar ordinance, support stronger protections for residents and townships, and believe RWE is out of line for pushing back against rules designed to protect the county.
The button will open your phone or desktop email app with these commissioners pre-addressed. You can edit the subject line or body before sending.
Your device will use its default email app. The message is pre-filled, but you can edit everything before sending.
This section contains official documents obtained through Pennsylvania Right-to-Know requests. These are not opinions or marketing materials — they are direct records involving McKean County officials, developers, attorneys, and project representatives tied to the RWE Stargazer Solar Project.
This is the full, unedited document obtained through a Right-to-Know request. It contains emails, communications, and records that help explain what is really happening around the solar ordinance and project discussions.
Download RTK PDFWeak ordinance language can leave major issues half-covered or completely uncovered once a large project starts moving through review.
If the county gets serious, it gives townships and residents a stronger framework. If the county folds, the burden shifts back onto smaller local governments.
A room full of residents sends a different message than a room dominated by project supporters or people with a direct stake in pushing development through.
If residents care about stronger rules, they cannot afford to act like these meetings are optional.
These questions are based directly on the proposed McKean County Solar Ordinance. They focus on whether these protections will actually apply — or be avoided.
This ordinance includes strong protections for residents, property owners, and the environment. The key question is not what is written — it is whether those protections will actually be enforced equally and without exception.
Meetings like this are where county protections either get stronger or get watered down. Do not miss it because you forgot the date.