OCONTO COUNTY (NBC 26) — A solar energy company declined to attend a public meeting in Morgan Tuesday night, citing safety concerns after they said they discovered threatening social media comments about the gathering.
Hear from NextEra Energy and the town of Morgan's chairperson below:
NextEra Energy found a Facebook comment last Friday suggesting people bring weapons to the meeting about their proposed solar farm project in Oconto County, according to company spokesperson Marshall Hastings.
"When you see a comment like that, we take heightened awareness to that. We want to make sure that our employees are safe when they're in these communities and we're appreciative of all the dialogue we did get to have," Hastings said.
Despite the online comments, NextEra still sent representatives to previously planned meetings at area coffee shops Monday to speak with neighbors about the project.
The company declined to share the specific social media comments with NBC 26. We sent an open records request to the Oconto County Sheriff's Department for any copies they have of the messages Wednesday afternoon, they have not replied as of the publication of this article.
NextEra's proposal calls for building a solar farm on more than 1,100 acres of what is now mostly farmland in the town of Morgan. The company says the project will generate money, jobs and energy for the area.
However, people living nearby have expressed concerns about their safety and potential harm to the environment.
"Right now, our voices are not being heard," said Lori Witthuhn, Morgan town chair.
Because of the project's wattage, NextEra only needs approval from the state to move forward, which they are still waiting on. Witthuhn believes that process should change.
"I do. Absolutely I do," Witthuhn said when asked if Wisconsin's approval process needs reform to ensure the town and the county get a say in the project.
Witthuhn was appointed town chair after a recall election in 2022. Town board members were ousted because they agreed to lease their own personal land for the solar project.
She shares her community's concerns about the development.
"In my opinion, you shouldn't come to places like this ... where people don't want it," Witthuhn said.
The Oconto County Sheriff's Department said they did not find any credible threat from the social media comments and they ensured Tuesday's meeting was staffed with law enforcement.
If the project is approved by the state and goes according to schedule, NextEra plans to start construction sometime in 2027 and be operational by 2028.
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