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Neighbor petitions, safety concerns push Emery County to consider voter approval and buffer zones for Huntington Creek solar project
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Summary
A Castle Dale-area resident presented a petition with more than 625 signatures calling for buffer zones and better notice around the Huntington Creek solar project; the commission scheduled public hearings and voted to consider an ordinance or voter-approval path for large-scale solar.
Whitney Phillips, a Huntington Creek–area resident, told the Emery County Commission on April 21 that she and hundreds of neighbors were blindsided by plans for a laydown area and panels proposed near their homes and farms. "We have over 625 signatures," Phillips said, and asked the commission to require buffer zones and better notice before any approvals.
Phillips said county and developer notices were not sent to adjacent landowners, that contractors failed to identify nearby houses on maps, and that she had been told by a Doral Renewables representative that the company "failed to do that in your area." Phillips listed health and safety concerns—dust, increased traffic, electrocution risk, and potential toxic fire runoff—along with worries about wildlife, loss of developable housing land, and tax treatment of solar leases.
Her remarks were followed by other public comments, including Jesse Ward of Cleveland, who urged the commission to follow a local Republican Party resolution and pursue a process that would allow county voters a direct say on large-scale solar projects. "This isn't about being for or against solar. It's about making sure decisions that have long-term impacts on our land, our agricultural, and our community reflect the will of the people who live here," Ward said.
Commission members discussed legal pathways. County staff and counsel noted there are statutory processes for ballot initiatives under Utah law and that ordinances may be possible so long as they do not conflict with state or federal law. The chair said he sympathized with neighbors’ concerns but warned that a straight ballot requirement—an automatic countywide vote on any project larger than a fixed acreage as presented at a party convention—could raise property-rights questions. "I personally don't feel that having the public vote on this is the best way to handle it," the chair said, adding the commission’s role includes balancing private property rights and neighboring concerns.
After discussion, the commission voted to "consider voter approval" pathways and to study ordinance options that could formalize notice, buffering, or conditional-use requirements for industrial-scale solar. Commissioners also confirmed a public hearing on solar scheduled for 6 p.m. that evening to gather more public input.
Why it matters: The Huntington Creek proposal has prompted sustained opposition from nearby residents who say they received inadequate notice and who fear long-term effects on health, housing and farming. The commission’s decision to explore ordinance and ballot options signals the issue will return to the board for further public hearings and possible policy changes.
What’s next: The commission said it will accept written comments, hear testimony at the scheduled public hearing, and study legal options including ordinance language and the mechanics of initiatives or referenda under Utah law.