Commissioner Don Suppes dissented, holding firm his belief in property rights and the tough decisions around “not in my backyard” opposition.
More than a dozen residents attended the hearing and several spoke against the project. In a previous public hearing, however, locals told Commissioners that they lamented the change but understood the need to innovate in agriculture.
The Master Plan’s directive to maintain ag land was mentioned and the developer, Guzman Energy, explained that the land would continue to be irrigated and a large sheep herd would be grazed beneath the panels.
Guzman’s representative told Commissioners that the construction phase of the project would generate 350-plus local jobs, generate property tax to the county estimated around $10 million over 35 years, and help DMEA reach approximately 20% local power generation.
Delta County Land-Use Code offers no appeal process for decisions made by the Board of County Commissioners — it does for decisions made by the county’s planning director — and it is not known whether Guzman Energy plans further action.