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Iberia Parish council adopts solar ordinance with half-mile setback after hours of public comment
Summary
After extensive public comment and debate, the Iberia Parish Council adopted a revised solar ordinance that sets a half-mile setback from residences and creates an industrial development board appointed by the council; developers and opponents sharply disagreed over outreach, safety and property impacts.
The Iberia Parish Council on July 23 adopted an ordinance regulating utility-scale solar development that sets a half-mile minimum setback from residences and creates an Industrial Development Board whose members will be appointed by the council.
The move came after more than three hours of public comment and a lengthy council debate in which industry representatives urged more time and broader outreach and dozens of residents and landowners urged strict limits or a full ban. Ben Callahan, representing Recurrent Energy, said the company had conducted canvassing and a public meeting and reported that "1,902 people said they were in favor" while "776 ... said they were opposed," asking the council for more time to expand engagement.
Why it matters: The ordinance replaces an absence of parish rules on utility-scale solar with a local regulatory framework that is stricter than…
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