Residents urge Navajo County to impose moratorium on large renewable projects and sever ties with Real AZ

Donna Sherwin, a Pinetop resident, told the Navajo County Board of Supervisors during the March 10 public-comment period that constituents are alarmed by the county’s ongoing relationship with Real AZ, a private organization she said was voluntarily dissolved in October 2024. "It is disappointing that a month has passed since my proposal and your agenda today does not honor my request," Sherwin said, urging the board to place an item on the March 24 agenda to formally end the county’s involvement with the group and to impose an immediate moratorium on county wind, solar and battery-storage projects.

Kelly Meixler, a local business owner, seconded the call and recommended concrete steps she said would protect the grid, property values and jobs: rescind resolution 17 20 25, enact zoning ordinances with larger buffers, require community impact assessments and establish a local energy fund from developer fees. Meixler also proposed pursuing a small nuclear reactor at the Cholla Power Plant as an alternative to intermittent renewables, citing existing transmission, water access and workforce at the site.

Joan Lewis of Snowflake argued that the county’s June 2025 zoning updates weakened turbine setbacks and prioritized intermittent projects over rural character, and she repeated a request for an immediate moratorium. "We can't wait, impose an immediate moratorium on all renewables, solar, wind, and batteries," Lewis said, adding that residents asked for larger buffers and were denied during the prior zoning process.

Board Chair Seymour acknowledged the requests and noted the items will be scheduled for further consideration; no formal action on a moratorium or on Real AZ was taken at the meeting. The public commenters asked the board to address their concerns at a future meeting and to provide more opportunity for community input on renewable siting and related ordinances.