AriSEIA Files Fourth Comment Letter on Apache County Renewable Energy Ordinance

The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association submitted its fourth comment letter to Apache County on March 4, pressing commissioners and staff in St. Johns on lingering and newly revised provisions within the county's draft Renewable Energy Ordinance, Article 4, Sections 436 through 446.

Signed by AriSEIA Executive Director Autumn T. Johnson and addressed to the county at 75 W. Cleveland, the 247-kilobyte PDF builds directly on a detailed submission AriSEIA filed December 3, 2025. That earlier letter tackled foundational questions: definitions, siting criteria, setbacks, noise standards, agency coordination, and decommissioning. The March 4 letter, Johnson wrote, is "intended to supplement that prior submission and to respond specifically to new or revised provisions in the current draft, as well as to areas where our earlier concerns remain unresolved."

AriSEIA framed its goals around three principles: "clarity, administrative feasibility, and alignment with established renewable energy development practices." The association argued that getting the language right serves both sides of the table. "Addressing these concerns will help ensure that the ordinance protects County interests while remaining workable for projects that can bring economic development and tax revenue to Apache County," Johnson wrote.

The letter closes with an offer to deepen the collaboration, with AriSEIA stating it "welcomes continued dialogue with County staff and the Board of Supervisors and remains available to provide examples from other Arizona jurisdictions or to assist in refining ordinance language where helpful." Johnson can be reached at (520) 240-4757.

One minor procedural question hangs over the filing: the letter header cites the ordinance as Draft 5v8, while the posting summary references Draft 5v10. Apache County staff have not publicly clarified which version was the operative draft on March 4.

The county's renewable energy rulemaking has drawn a broader cast of voices beyond AriSEIA. Daric Knight, Chairman of the Apache Natural Resource Conservation District, told the Planning and Zoning Commission that the NRCD had formally requested inclusion as a third-party reviewer for conditional use permits tied to renewable energy projects. The Commission approved that request on December 4, 2025. Knight noted the NRCD is a subdivision of state government covering approximately two million acres within Apache County, and that Arizona law recognizes the district's expertise in land, soil, water, and natural resource management.

Amanda Ormond, Executive Director of the Just Energy Transition Center at Arizona State University, also weighed in during a public comment period, commending county staff for their work on the draft and emphasizing that a well-crafted ordinance "provides certainty for both the County and businesses, helping attract appropriate development while ensuring community benefits."

On the administrative side, the Commission agreed to shift Planning and Zoning work sessions and public meetings to the first Wednesday of each month at 4:00 p.m., beginning January 2026, with Vice-Chair Peterson having requested the schedule avoid the fourth Wednesday. Staff confirmed remote Zoom access could be arranged for meetings when hazardous winter weather makes travel to St. Johns difficult.

The ordinance remains under active revision, and with AriSEIA now four letters deep into the process, the county's next public meeting will likely test how much ground has been closed between the association's technical recommendations and the county's current draft language.