Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Renewable Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Navajo County approves 272‑foot MET tower near Joseph City to collect wind data
Summary
The board unanimously approved special‑use permit SUP 25‑004 for a 272‑foot meteorological tower on private land southwest of Joseph City. Staff cited FAA clearance and recommended 17 conditions; neighbors and landowners spoke both for and against the project.
The Navajo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve Special Use Permit SUP 25‑004 to install a 272‑foot meteorological monitoring tower (MET tower) on a 0.7479‑acre pad within a 2,761.22‑acre parcel southwest of Joseph City. Planning staff told the board the tower would operate for up to seven years to collect wind data for a potential future wind energy project.
"Staff recommend approval of the special use permit for Windy Canyon Wind MET Tower subject to the 17 conditions listed in the staff report," Planning staff stated during the presentation. Staff also told the board that the Federal Aviation Administration issued a determination of no hazard to air navigation. The staff report noted 25 emailed comments opposed and 2 in support, plus 10 voicemails opposed.
Nearby landowners and the property owner spoke in favor of allowing the MET tower to gather data. Steve Brophy, president of Aztec Land and Cattle Company (the landowner), said the MET tower sits on his land and, if the data show sufficient wind, could support a future commercial project that would be presented to the board for further permits.
Supervisors discussed the county's role in researching renewable energy and balancing land stewardship with potential economic benefits for ranchers. "This is not saying that we're approving a farm, a wind farm. It's saying we're approving a project to study it," a supervisor said during the discussion.
The board approved the permit by voice vote. The approval allows data collection under the conditions described by staff and starts a seven‑year window during which developers may use collected data to evaluate commercial viability.
What happens next: the MET tower may be erected under the permit and staff conditions; any subsequent wind‑farm proposals would require separate permits and further public hearings.
