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Bluff advances renewable-energy ordinance; commenters urge soil protections and small-scale exemptions
Summary
Planning and Zoning presented a renewable-energy draft developed with SolSmart input; public commenters requested protections for agricultural soils, exemptions for very small solar systems (citing a 1,200-watt threshold), and removal of federal-monument lands from suggested large-scale solar areas.
Planning and Zoning commissioners presented a renewable-energy ordinance intended to clarify where rooftop and ground-mounted solar, wind and geothermal projects would be allowed and what permitting or conditional-use standards would apply. Commissioners said the draft was prepared with input from SolSmart and includes charts and tiered project sizes to guide applicants.
Public commenter Josh Ewing (S3), who said he works in clean energy, praised the draft but urged several changes: add language to limit soil disturbance to protect agricultural lands and future ability to return land to grazing or farming; exempt very small solar installations from burdensome permitting (he suggested using a 1,200-watt threshold based on recent legislation); provide clearer conditional-use examples for slope and soil constraints; and explicitly exclude federal Bears Ears National Monument lands from any local future-use recommendations for industrial-scale renewable projects.
Planning and Zoning said the charts and conditional-use framework are open for public feedback and legal review and asked residents to submit written comments through Nov. 7. Staff emphasized the ordinance is intended to enable reasonably sized local renewable projects while protecting important agricultural and cultural resources.
