Silicon Ranch responded to State Rep. Matt Simpson's (R-Daphne) proposal to put a moratorium on solar facilities and give county commissions zoning options.
Simpson introduced House Bills 617 (HB617) and 618 (HB618) and said there are limitations on private property rights.
"Your rights end where my rights begin," he said.
Silicon Ranch responded to that statement, stating, "We agree with Rep. Simpson's sentiment that one's property rights end where that of their neighbors begins, and encourage him to apply that standard to the private land and private transaction in question."
The solar facility developer plans to invest $300 million into a 4,500-acre property in Stockton. The plan is to develop 2,000 of those acres into a solar farm, leaving 2,500 acres of buffer and wetlands. Still, a large effort to shut down the proposal over concerns about its environmental impact continues. Silicon Ranch maintains that the concerns are based on false information and that the company has planned a public meeting to address them.
"Rep. Simpson's position would necessarily lead to one's private property rights ending where meritless and baseless conjecture begins. We will not allow willful misinformation to define this conversation," Silicon Ranch stated. "We will continue to put forward facts in the face of flagrant falsehoods about our investment or our company's integrity. We will continue to operate transparently and to stand with landowners and community members who understand what is at stake.
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"This is about more than a single project, or even about solar power generation in general," the statement continued. "This is about whether private citizens retain the right to make lawful decisions about their land without political interference or government overreach."
The public meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the John R. Rhodes Civic Center in Bay Minette.
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