Emery County commission refers proposed limits on utility-scale solar to planning and zoning after divided debate

Emery County commissioners on March 3 debated whether to adopt an ordinance banning utility-scale solar projects and ultimately voted to send the proposal to the county’s planning and zoning staff for review and a public hearing.

The discussion centered on competing concerns about local jobs and long-term tax revenue versus parcel-level impacts and reclamation. Commissioners and speakers asked for more information from power companies about transmission and how solar would affect coal-fired generation and local employment. One commissioner moved to pursue an ordinance prohibiting utility-scale solar in the county; other members said they preferred that planning and zoning vet any draft language and hold a public hearing before the commission acts.

The chair framed the choice as fiscal and procedural: the county’s tax code is revenue neutral, so large new developments could raise assessed values that are later adjusted by the state tax commission. “The state tax code is set up to be revenue neutral,” the chair said, urging careful study of how solar projects would affect county revenues and property taxpayers. Commissioners also raised the prospect that restrictions could simply shift development across a county line instead of stopping projects in the region.

Supporters of study said technical protections and clear reclamation and bonding requirements should be part of any ordinance. One commissioner noted concern about bonding timelines for clean-up at some projects and said project bonds observed by the public lands council did not require reclamation until a 15th-year trigger was met.

Others highlighted potential short-term property tax revenue and lower property-tax burdens if revenue were structured to benefit residents. “If that solar farm comes in … that acre ground’s gonna jump from a dollar to $10 an acre,” a resident said during the exchange, arguing that solar could increase local tax receipts on formerly low-value parcels.

After debate, the commission approved a motion to forward the draft language and existing materials to planning and zoning and directed staff to schedule a public hearing. The recorded roll call on that motion in the transcript shows mixed positions among commissioners; commissioners asked planning and zoning to return a recommendation and to ensure the public had a chance to comment.

What happens next: planning and zoning will review the draft language and hold a public hearing; the commission can then consider an ordinance or other regulatory steps after receiving that recommendation.