Opposition
Other wind or solar projects nearby that encountered opposition
Reasons: Industrial structures will replace natural scenery; industry will replace farming; farms building too close to houses/properties. Depreciation of adjacent properties and the disturbance created during the building phase were also cited for a project in Eldorado, Saline County.
In the News
News articles or letters to the editor expressing local concerns
- There have been a lot of reports in the last five years regarding accidents on I-57 that passes through the county. I-57 seems to have a disproportionately high rate of accidents. The county is now upgrading to a 3-lane road. The county has to buy special equipment to deal with spills etc. that occur due to some of these accidents.
- Franklin county is looking for an I-57 interchange expansion that would allow semis to bypass downtown Benton and gain access to three industrial parks. The county is seeking federal funding for the project.
- Franklin County Senior Services is in need of funding as the county was hit hard during the pandemic and the local seniors are struggling with living costs.
- City of Benton is without a dedicated recycling program.
- The Rend Lake Aquatic Center closed in January 2021. There had been a campaign to persuade the College Board to not convert it into a conference center. The facility was important to the local seniors as many of them used it for medical purposes. It might be helpful to look into it and maybe fill the space left behind.
- The Broadband services in Williamson County needs upgradation and the county had been looking to upgrade it using grant money
- The biggest talk of the counties was the construction of a new courthouse in Franklin County. The estimated cost of the courthouse was 12.5 million and the locals were not happy about it, but it was an inevitable task. There were concerns of the construction affecting the local economy. The courthouse opened in April 2022 with improved security and building technologies. The county raised sales tax by 1% to pay for the courthouse.
A History of Coal Mining in the Area
Franklin and Williamson counties have a long history of coal mining going back to at least 1889 and continuing today. The region is the historic epicenter of underground coal mining in Illinois (see attached state map).
Coal mining deeply is ingrained in the region’s culture, with many cities such as Carbondale in Williamson County named for this major economic driver. The coal mining industry boomed in the early 20th century but by the 1960s declined sharply. From a high of around 50,000 jobs in the 1930s, there are fewer than 3,000 jobs today.
Franklin remains the state’s largest producer, with more than 12 million tons produced in 2019. Williamson produced more than 5 million tons.
Franklin County experienced one of the biggest mining accidents in history in 1951 when 119 miners died in an explosion in West Frankfurt. A popular annual regional event memorializes the tragedy with the Old King Coal Festival at Coal Miner’s Memorial Park.
Today there are still mines in production, including the Pond Creek Mine, which is immediately adjacent to the project area, and the Sugar Camp Mine in Macedonia, which recently experienced a major underground fire. Both mines have been under heavy scrutiny from regulators and environmental groups (see attached area map).
Coal production-related jobs remain a top employer in both counties, and these jobs hold strong significance for the local identity. A Franklin County board member was quoted a few years back saying, "Coal mining is all we know.”
The project area vicinity has been heavily mined underground, with at least three abandoned shafts in the area. Because the mining is underground, there’s no brownfield opportunity.
