Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Renewable Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bluff review seeks public input on renewable-energy ordinance; commenters urge soil protections and small-system exemptions
Summary
Planning & Zoning presented a draft renewable-energy ordinance developed with SolSmart guidance to set standards for rooftop and ground-mounted solar, wind and geothermal projects. Public commenters recommended protecting agricultural soils, exempting very small systems from permitting, and excluding industrial-scale projects from Bears Ears land.
Planning & Zoning presented a draft renewable-energy ordinance that lays out where residential and larger-scale solar, wind and geothermal installations would be allowed, conditional-use thresholds and charts for different project sizes. The commission said SolSmart assisted in drafting the framework.
Commissioners said the intent is to "plan for what's coming" — to allow rooftop and appropriately sited ground-mounted systems while establishing standards for conditional-use review of larger projects. The draft includes charts with size and siting parameters and asks for public feedback on clarity and fit for Bluff.
Josh Ewing, who said he works in clean-energy, praised the draft but urged several additions: language requiring minimal soil disturbance to protect agricultural land and prevent permanent loss of productivity; an exemption threshold for very small systems (he cited a recent state-level exemption and suggested roughly 1,200 watts as a reference point for systems that should not require permitting); and explicit language that the town does not support industrial-scale renewable projects in Bears Ears National Monument.
Staff said the charts and conditional-use framework are intended as a starting point and invited written comments through Nov. 7. No formal action was taken at the hearing.
