{"id":15624,"date":"2025-11-20T18:37:58","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T01:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/montezuma-county-rejects-moratorium-paves-way-for-solar-energy\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:49:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:49:33","slug":"montezuma-county-rejects-moratorium-paves-way-for-solar-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/montezuma-county-rejects-moratorium-paves-way-for-solar-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Montezuma County rejects moratorium, paves way for solar energy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A
A warehouse along U.S. Highway 491 displays an anti-solar sign. Montezuma County Commissioners on Tuesday voted on an amendment to the county\u2019s land use code regulating for alternative energy developments. (Benjamin Rubin\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Montezuma County residents on Tuesday aired out their thoughts about solar energy, and the Board of County Commissioners declined to issue a second moratorium, voting instead to adopt land-use regulations for alternative energy.<\/p>\n

The public hearing drew 60 to 70 people and marked the latest chapter in a long debate over utility-scale solar development in the county.<\/p>\n

A six-month moratorium on new solar developments expired Oct. 15. During that time, commissioners and staff researched the issue and drafted new land-use codes.<\/p>\n

The updated regulations, focused largely on solar, were unanimously approved Tuesday. The codes favor solar projects combined with agriculture, limit visual impacts on scenery and neighboring properties, and require proper decommissioning of solar farms.<\/p>\n

After County Attorney Stephen Tarnowski presented the amendments, 29 people spoke during a public hearing. Fourteen supported another moratorium; the rest urged commissioners to adopt the amendments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have groups that hate it adamantly, and we have groups that love it totally,\u201d Commissioner Jim Candelaria said of solar. \u201cWe\u2019re right in the middle of it trying to figure out what\u2019s going to be best for the community. I understand that nobody wants it in their backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at the end of the day an all-source energy solution is really what we have to focus on and that means everything; an all-source energy solution to provide the power that is going to be needed for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

About half the speakers favored a moratorium.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell you this commission does not kick the can down the road, and to extend a moratorium, I think, is just kicking the can down the road,\u201d Candelaria said.<\/p>\n

What do the land-use code additions say?<\/div>\n

As Tarnowski introduced the proposed additions to the county\u2019s land-use code, he said he worked with the Planning and Zoning Department to uphold values in the county\u2019s Comprehensive Land Use Plan<\/a>,<\/a> adopted in 1997.<\/p>\n

Affordability, continued agriculture, protected private property and land use intended for the community\u2019s benefit were all considered, Tarnowski said.<\/p>\n

When alternative energy proposals are submitted, they will follow the normal high-impact and special-permit process, he said.<\/p>\n

As for solar specifically, utility-scale panels must meet key criteria.<\/p>\n

Solar panels that can accommodate agricultural use \u2013 often called \u201cagrovoltaics\u201d \u2013 receive preference under the new codes. Preventing panels from blocking views through fencing or screening is required. Panels cannot exceed 15 feet in height.<\/p>\n

Solar projects must be at least 500 feet from residential property lines, a last-minute change from 150 feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne hundred, 50 feet out your front door is 50 yards,\u201c said Commissioner Kent Lindsay. \u201dAnd I don\u2019t know anybody in this room would be willing to live with that.\u201c<\/p>\n

When the life span of the solar farms end, the new code prevents the burden of decommissioning from falling to the county.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal here is that these are really temporary uses and that the property should essentially be returned to some kind of prior state that it existed in,\u201d Tarnowski said.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re going to make 50% of this room mad \u2026\u2019<\/div>\n

For some, the updated land-use code was enough to greenlight solar. For others, the language was insufficient, and they wanted another moratorium.<\/p>\n

Those who wished for a new moratorium voiced concerns about solar\u2019s impact on wildlife and soil. Another person asked how regulations would be enforced. A few worried property values could drop and farmland could disappear.<\/p>\n

Others said solar power would be deficient or would disrupt the county\u2019s rural way of life. Some advocated for a moratorium but said they only wanted a slower approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe decisions made now will shape our food security, our landscape, and the character of this county for decades,\u201d said Landan Wilson of Pleasant View.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn extension of the moratorium would allow us the necessary time to develop stronger land use codes policies, understand cumulative impacts, and ensure that renewable energy projects are (seated) where they provide the most benefit with the least harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, those in favor pointed to the energy and revenue solar could bring. Organizers with the advocacy group Montezuma County for Solar spoke out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe it\u2019s in the best interest of the entire county regardless of what you decide on those codes to not put a new solar moratorium in place,\u201d said Kate Bennett of Lewis-Arriola.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if the codes need revision, refinement, more hearings, more discussion, we\u2019ve been without a ban for the last month and a solar project has not just randomly appeared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to make 50% of this room mad and 50% of this room happy with any decision that we make,\u201d Candelaria said.<\/p>\n

With speakers\u2019 views almost evenly divided and with commissioners voicing reservations, the pro-solar side ultimately prevailed.<\/p>\n

Commissioner Gerald Koppenhafer took issue with what he described as a special pass for the solar industry. Lindsay cited technical uncertainties and said solar could be unsightly. Candelaria described limitations on transmission lines for the panels.<\/p>\n

The updated land-use codes are a new chapter for the county. That doesn\u2019t mean they are enshrined in stone, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs stated previously, (the land-use code is) a living document,\u201d Candelaria said. \u201cIt can be changed at any time with public hearings, public comment. It can be changed by any commission.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Commissioner says extending moratorium is \u2018just kicking the can down the road\u2019 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-15624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15624"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19755,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15624\/revisions\/19755"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15624"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=15624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}