Harmony Township Probes Zoning Conflict Over Battery Project
Harmony Township officials are seeking legal counsel to review zoning decisions made by a former chairman who held an undisclosed deal with developer Geronimo Power.
The Harmony Township Board of Supervisors is seeking new legal counsel to conduct a formal review of past zoning decisions following a unanimous vote on September 22. The inquiry centers on former Board Chairman Tom Roden, who participated in July zoning revisions that increased noise limits and allowed battery energy storage in agricultural districts.
Investigators are examining whether Roden violated state conflict-of-interest statutes by failing to disclose a private purchase option agreement he signed with developer Geronimo Power in May, prior to the zoning votes. The board aims to determine if this undisclosed financial arrangement invalidates the zoning changes. This legal effort comes amid local instability, as the township has cycled through three attorneys in the last 18 months.
Parallel to the local probe, the North Dakota Public Service Commission has scheduled a public hearing for October 23 in Casselton. The hearing will address a $249 million battery storage project proposed by Geronimo Power, which is linked to the disputed zoning revisions in the rural township.
