PUEBLO COUNTY – “I’m really against this,” said a homeowner from the Saint Charles River Estates subdivision in Pueblo County. He and several dozen of his neighbors showed up at the Pueblo Board of County Commissioners meeting to voice opposition to a proposed 700 acre solar panel renewable energy facility near their homes in the Stem Beach area of Pueblo County.
The energy production site has been in the works for several years. At a previous County Commission meeting, leaders of the company Invenergy and neighbors of the proposed site were advised to do some negotiation and comeback with some compromises. One is an adjustment moving the solar panels further away from homes. “It’s [now] probably a third of a mile from the nearest home and then the majority of the homes are, you know, further than that,” said Ben Turner with Invenergy. Turner also pointed out to Pueblo County Commissioners that the company is in compliance with required rules and regulations.
Most of the neighbors are not interested in compromise. The do not want the facility near their homes. They say concerns include fire risk, the lithium batteries used to store energy, and the eye sore.
One of the county commissioners was excused from Wednesday’s meeting. The other two commissioners opted to push the vote for a construction permit back by a week.
