Alabama Lawmakers Pause Solar Farms Near Coast

0:00It's March 26th. Welcome to Birmingham News Today, powered by AI. Lawmakers in Alabama are rushing to pass new bills aimed at shooting unincorporated areas from big solar farm projects. The push comes after a proposed solar facility in the historic Stockton area raised alarms about local impacts. State Representative Matt Simpson, from Daphne and State Senator Greg Albertin from Range, introduced matching bills in both the House and Senate. These include House bills 617 and 618 and Senate bills 354 and 358. They call for a one-year pause on new solar power plants and give local commissions more. Say over zoning. People worry these projects could harm Mobile Bay and nearby waterways in Baldwin and Mobile counties. Lawmakers back property rights, but say they have limits when it comes to protecting shared natural resources. The bills came late in the session because the Stockton Plans surface right before it started. Simpson expects tweaks to limit them to counties along the Gulf of Mexico.

1:02This effort highlights the growing tension between clean energy goals and local control, with a vote likely soon to shape development in coastal spots.