Apache County residents push moratorium on renewable-energy projects

Residents packed Apache County Planning and Zoning’s July meeting and pushed for a moratorium on wind and solar projects, turning a routine land-use hearing into a fight over who gets to decide the county’s future. Nearly 40 public comments were heard as neighbors split over grazing land, views, jobs and tax revenue.

The pause residents want would stop county approvals for wind, solar and related large-scale energy projects until Apache County finishes clarifying its rules. In a county that stretches from St. Johns to communities such as Concho, Vernon, Springerville and Eagar, the stakes reach beyond a single project site: access roads, transmission lines, emergency response, wildlife, water use and the long-term look of the landscape all hang on how fast permits move.

The argument has already reached the Apache County Planning and Zoning Commission, which previously recommended a renewable-energy moratorium, and it has drawn in the Apache County Board of Supervisors as wind opposition returned to county hall. That leaves county officials with a clear next choice: keep permitting under the current ordinance or slow everything down while new local rules are written.

The debate was not happening in a vacuum. Apache County Planning and Zoning minutes dated March 4, 2026 list commissioners Brad Peterson, Carey Dobson, Bobby Fite, Kay Hauser, Bob Pollock and Travis Johnson, with Michael Bragiel as alternate, along with county staff Matthew Fish, Shanna Pearce, Serafina Farb and Chief Deputy Attorney Christopher Resare. The county Community Development office is based in St. Johns, and the phone number listed in those minutes is (928) 337-7526.