Ohio Citizens Are Standing up for Wind and Solar
From V Interesting with V Spehar by Lemonada Media
April 30, 2026 · 35 min
About this episode
Residents of Richland County, Ohio are fighting to overturn a ban on large-scale solar and wind projects to revive jobs and development.
Richland County, Ohio used to be a major manufacturing hub. Now, as the plants have closed, residents are looking to renewable energy to revive jobs and development. There’s just one problem: their board of county commissioners issued a blanket ban on large-scale solar and wind projects last summer, bringing those efforts to a halt. Now, residents are waging a historic fight to overturn the ban. In this episode, host Gloria Riviera speaks with two locals behind the campaign: Brian McPeek, Business Manager and Financial Secretary of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and Shayna Fritz, the Executive Director for the Ohio Conservative Energy Forum. Together, they break down what’s at stake, from job development and homegrown energy to the rights of farmers and landowners to earn a living from their property, and how Richland County can be a model for communities across the country to shape their energy futures. To learn more about the campaign to reject the ban on large scale solar and wind in Richland County, visit nobanonpropertyrights.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Gloria Riviera
Guests: Brian McPeek, Shayna Fritz
Topics covered
- renewable energy
- local activism
- job development
- energy policy
- community rights
Keywords
- renewable energy
- solar projects
- wind projects
- Richland County
- job development
- community activism
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Ohio Conservative Energy Forum
Places: Richland County, Ohio
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