By admin 
PINAL COUNTY, AZ (AZFamily) — Seven rural Arizona towns and counties have imposed bans or restrictions on large-scale solar and wind energy projects, according to an Arizona’s Family Investigates review. The trend could lead to a less reliable power grid and higher energy costs as the state’s energy demand continues to grow.
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Counties and towns enact restrictions
Arizona’s Family Investigates found three rural counties — Yavapai, Mohave and Navajo — along with three towns — Chino Valley, Coolidge and Eloy — with bans or restrictions on large solar and wind farms.
Richard Vitiello, Pinal County supervisor for District One, said he’s heard that opposition.
“Pinal County has just been solar fatigued. And I just think that people are saying enough is enough,” Vitiello said.
Vitiello said land is a central concern. Two of the towns with restrictions in place, Eloy and Coolidge, are in Pinal County.
“We don’t want to ruin beautiful prestige land,” Vitiello said.
National political climate cited as factor
President Donald Trump has been clear about his opposition to clean energy initiatives like solar, wind and battery energy storage systems, instead prioritizing fossil fuels.
Kevin Thompson, of the Arizona Corporation Commission, said the administration’s stance has had a local effect.
“When you see the administration kind of leading the charge, you see a lot of folks that will jump on board,” Thompson said.
Thompson said the increase in local restrictions has not surprised him.
“Not necessarily. I mean, you, you started seeing some of the pushback a couple of years ago, and it’s just kind of steamrolled and, and gotten, gotten more, people have gotten more vocal about it,” Thompson said.
Tensions rise at public meetings
Autumn Johnson, executive director of the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association, has attended many of the planning and zoning meetings where the fate of these projects is often decided.
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“There have been in-person meetings that have had to be moved virtual because people were actually afraid for their own physical safety,” Johnson said.
In recent months, three board members from the Apache County planning and zoning board have stepped down. Meetings there have been especially contentious.
Johnson said the hostility in Apache County stands out from her experience elsewhere.
“We’ve seen kind of hostile climates, I’ve been booed in meetings, I’ve been called names in meetings, I’ve never seen anything like I’m seeing in Apache County,” Johnson said.
Pinal County describes a balancing act
Vitiello said the county is trying to weigh economic growth against land concerns.
“If we want jobs and we want industry and we want to work and play in our cities and towns and the county, we have to do this,” Vitiello said.
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