Map of the massive site Stockton resident John Murphy noted is the size of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
As I was traveling to my parents’ house for a Spring Break visit, I got a call from my childhood friend, Meagan Nordmann Fowler, asking me if I would be interested in attending a press conference, as press, even. I have been watching what’s happening in Stockton from afar, as illness and busy schedules have thwarted previous attempts to go back home to Baldwin County since the fight began, but since I was in town, I was game.
Friend of the Tensaw River Meagan Fowler
The press conference was to take place at the Five Rivers Delta Conference Center, a facility in Spanish Fort that is currently closed for renovations but set to reopen soon under the new management of the Alabama Wildlife Federation. The Highway 225 drive from Stockton to Spanish Fort was lined with political signs for the May 19 primary election, interspersed with signs opposing the proposed solar sites.
It’s worth noting that I did not see a single sign in favor of the solar sites.
Several of the folks on the signs were at the press conference. State Senator Greg Albritton and State Representative Matt Simpson, who have authored companion bills (SB354, SB358, HB617, and HB618) in their respective houses to slow the construction of solar sites so that residents can have more time to figure out the implications of this new technology.
State Senator Albritton and State Representative Simpson
Time was a common theme at the press conference. Silicon Ranch is attempting to push this project through quickly so that they can claim the green energy credits that are set to expire in July. As Simpson said, the only “green” they seem to be interested in here is money. At the press conference, Simpson asked of Silicon Ranch, “How do you know it’s environmentally friendly if you don’t do an environmental study?”
Albritton and Simpson also have a limited amount of time to push these bills through their respective houses, and while they claim they have gotten their colleagues in Mobile and Baldwin County on board, it’s been much more difficult to get the rest of the state on board. Still, they say, people in Montgomery are talking about Stockton. Another common theme that emerged at the press conference is how this issue is bigger than Stockton, Tensaw, Baldwin County, and even Alabama. I’d argue that the issue is bigger than solar power as well; it’s about exploiting massive tracts of rural land for profit.
Another theme that came up again and again was that of being a good neighbor. Silicon Ranch claims that they will be good neighbors, but they sure have been talking ugly about folks in North Baldwin.
Silicon Ranch has characterized the concerns of a grassroots citizens’ movement as “propaganda” while pushing their own. They claim that what Simpson and Albritton are doing is “government overreach,” but this project was pushed through by the Alabama Public Service Commission without consulting anyone in Stockton. They are touting property rights, but as Albritton said, “The right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins.” Also, there’s a difference between individual property rights, such as those of the good people of North Baldwin, and the property rights of a multi-billion dollar corporation like Silicon Ranch or Meta.
Speaking of Meta, Silicon Ranch’s new “informational” website about their project conveniently forgets to mention the proposed beneficiaries of Stockton Solar. Silicon Ranch claims that the project will “bolster the resiliency of the local electric grid,” which is probably somewhat true, but it also claims it will power “homes,” which we know is not true, or at least not exactly, as the site is primarily meant to offset the power demands of the Meta data center in Montgomery.
It’s not very neighborly to talk ugly about your neighbors and then lie to them.
As I sat in one of the folding chairs provided for the media and the Friends of the Tensaw River, I admired the prominent map of the Delta to the left of the podium and the aquatic grasses gently swaying in the breeze outside the window behind the speakers. According to Mobile Bay Magazine, “The grasses run from the Delta to the Gulf of Mexico, nursing the Bay’s young and filtering our water.” The natural beauty and ecological importance of the Delta is something I took for granted when I lived there and something I appreciate more since I moved away.
I have been accused of “NIMBYism” about this issue, but I assure you that I don’t want anyone’s backyard to be snatched up by a data center or a solar site, which is why I have personally divested from all Meta products and try to avoid AI usage as well.
Multiple massive solar projects planned for North Baldwin County
For my friends across the state, I encourage you to think critically about this issue. If it helps to imagine a solar power plant humming, sheep bleating (and pooping), or mud spilling into your back yard from the facility next door, do that. If you feel inclined, contact your state representatives and ask them to support HB617 and HB618 and contact your state senators and ask them to support SB354 and SB358. But do it quickly: time is running out to protect my backyard--and yours.