Courtesy of nebraskansforsolar.orgLINCOLN–(KFOR Jan. 21)–A controversial solar farm proposal near Hallam received the thumbs up from the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. Commissioners voted 5-0 to approve of the 2,400-acre solar farm, worth nearly $600-million from Florida-based NextEra Energy, which would be located between Southwest 29th Street and Highway 77, West Princeton Road to West Gage Road. The solar farm could bring in $42-million in tax revenue to Lancaster County. At a Jan. 14 public hearing before the County Board, some residents expressed concerns over environmental and economic impacts the solar farm could have on the area. Others were worried about the project impacting response times to wildfires or other emergencies. Commissioner Matt Schulte did put forth a motion to adjust the proposed plan, which addresses those fire concerns and moving the solar farm further away from area homes. “I am going to vote for this because I think this is the best we can do without denying the permit,” Schulte said before the vote. Other amendments were added, such as addressing concerns over dust control. Those amendments came from Commissioner Chelsea Johnson. NextEra says they plan to start work on the Panama Solar Energy Project in December 2026.