Below is my Letter to the Putnam County commissioners about why I support the 4Leaf Solar Project in Cloverdale, IN. TLDR: It’s about clean air, clean water, and the freedom of property owner to make their own decisions.
Putnam County Commissioners,
I am writing in strong support of the proposed Cloverdale solar project, 4 Leaf Solar. This project respects the rights of the property owner to decide how their land is used, preserves farmland while making it more productive, and addresses the serious challenges Indiana faces with air and water quality. It is both a matter of liberty and of responsible stewardship.
For years, this property has been used to grow commodity corn for ethanol — one of the least efficient and most environmentally damaging ways to produce energy. That was the landowner’s choice, and no one objected. Now, that same landowner wants to put their acreage to work in a way that produces clean, renewable energy while continuing agricultural use and retaining the possibility of future crop production. If we value property rights, we should respect this decision.
Indiana’s environmental record underscores why this project matters. Our state ranks near the bottom in both air and water quality. The major culprits are coal-fired electricity and farm runoff. By replacing corn with solar, this project cuts emissions and reduces runoff, improving both air and water quality.
At the same time, solar dramatically increases land productivity. One acre of solar can power a vehicle for more than 800,000 miles in a year. An acre of corn ethanol powers a car for fewer than 10,000 miles. That’s an eighty-fold improvement, while the land remains agricultural and the soil improves for future generations.
Some have questioned where the electricity will go. The answer is simple: electricity is fungible. It flows to where it is needed, lowering costs across the grid. And more importantly, no other industry is held to this “local use only” standard. The ethanol grown on this land is sold elsewhere. Crown’s forklifts are used nationwide. Subaru doesn’t sell car parts only in Putnam County. To demand that solar energy be treated differently is inconsistent and unfair.
At its core, this project is about property rights and common sense. The landowner has the right to decide how to use their land, and in this case, their decision also happens to make Putnam County cleaner, stronger, and more forward-looking.
I urge you to support this project and respect both the liberty of the landowner and the health of our community’s future.
Sincerely,
Kevin Verhoff