- An Alliance For Community Action
- (970) 256-7650
- info@WesternColoradoAlliance.org
A new generation of solar in Mesa County
It’s official! After four months of a land development code revision process, the Mesa County Solar Moratorium has ended with an optimistic view for a clean energy future and solar infrastructure.
We have seen solar moratoriums adopted by numerous counties across Western Colorado for a variety of reasons and intents, and when Mesa County announced they would be pursuing one as well, we began to fear the worst. From the minute we found out this process would be underway, we launched an all-out campaign to ensure we were at the table every step of the way. Our members showed up in force to every planning commission workshop and county commissioner public hearing throughout the four-month process which allowed them to push back against members of the community who sought to make solar economically infeasible or impossible to implement in our county. While many of the concerns that were brought up against allowing large-scale or community solar were entirely unfounded, such as that they leach chemicals into the soil, are a massive fire risk, or are noisy, others were based in reality and we are glad to see them addressed in this new code. Concerns such as view impacts, set backs to scenic byways and occupied dwellings, and using too much good agricultural land for solar were heard loud and clear and we stand by our community who wanted to see these addressed.
Additionally, we fought back against attempts to add extraneous and costly requirements like requiring an interconnect agreement from a utility before granting code approval, code approval that is often a necessity before being granted an interconnect from a utility, speculative bonding, and fire suppression systems and rapid-shut offs that are redundant and unnecessary due to codes solar farms are already required to adhere to at the state or international levels. We also were able to ensure that agrivoltaics, the merging of solar and agricultural production on a single parcel of land, would be not only protected but encouraged so we can highlight our agricultural heritage while generating clean, cheap energy locally that will strengthen our farmer’s ability to continue to run their farms and add value to them.
When members couldn’t attend in person, they submitted well-reasoned comments online for the commissioners to read, wrote letters to the editor, and emailed the planning commission. While the County Commissioners had initially expected this process to take six months, through the diligent work and dedication to the process of Planning Department Manager Sean Norris, each member of the Board of County Commissioners, and their staff, we saw this moratorium end early while never forsaking the need for community input, respectful dialogue, and careful attention to detail. It isn’t every day that we get the chance to see the government move efficiently and effectively to make a positive change in the community. In Mesa County, on the subject of new solar land use codes, we have created an example to which all counties in the region ought to aspire.
We are thrilled to see this code unanimously adopted, and look forward to seeing new solar projects come online that will generate locally produced, clean, and cheap energy that we will all benefit from for decades to come. I must extend my deepest gratitude to all of our members who participated to make this possible and the County Commissioners for listening to the community. BRAVO!
Tyler grew up in Grand Junction, graduating from Fruita Monument High School and attending Colorado Mesa University where he graduated in 2016. Since then, Tyler has spent the last six years working on political campaigns of all types from city council and school board up to presidential campaigns at the state level. Tyler is passionate about issues including conservation, energy, and responsible growth of the Western Slope.