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We believe the decision to grant a conditional-use permit in Old Lycoming Township to construct a "solar farm" -- an array of panels to collect and distribute solar energy was the right decision.
It was the right decision for our region's energy needs and it was the right decision for property rights.
We understand that the neighbors of such projects will have concerns -- many of them valid. The project in Old Lycoming Township was, appropriately, granted a conditional use permit with stipulations and conditions to address such concerns, as the Sun-Gazette reported in Tuesday's edition.
As such projects are proposed, we hope municipal and county officials are proactive in addressing concerns and in hammering out the details under which everyone can live with the plans.
It is vitally important that our nation has affordable energy. We have frequently editorialized about this importance as it relates to natural gas and oil developments -- and we continue to believe that gas and oil need to be responsibly extracted and used.
But relying on a diverse selection of sources for energy will help protect consumers from situations and circumstances that, if our communities are too reliant on one or two sources, would otherwise lead to excessive and burdensome prices.
We believe solar, wind and hydroelectric power can play a role in that diversity and in ensuring that protection.
Moreover, we believe that property rights are a foundational aspect of our society. We are skeptical of the "not-in-my-backyard" impulses that hamper development and infringe on property owners deciding their own fate.
As with all rights, there are perimeters and limits. But as a society devoted to the principles of liberty, we owe it to our neighbors and to our future generations to be as unimposing about such limits as we can.
And so, beyond the implications for meeting our nation's energy needs, we celebrate that private parties in a corner of our township will be free to use their property as they -- not intrusive government -- see fit.