Commissioners spar over whether solar farms should be excluded from new power-plant rules

A sustained exchange at the Sept. 3 hearing centered on whether solar farms should be exempt from the proposed power-plant regulations. One commissioner argued solar panels "do not make noise" and urged creating a separate ordinance for solar, saying solar is the future and should be treated differently from on-site generator plants. The speaker asked the commission to "consider taking solar panels out of this ordinance and create another ordinance strictly on solar panels."

Staff and other commissioners pushed back, saying most of the proposed rules address solar-related issues and removing solar from the ordinance now would "completely gut the ordinance." Staff further noted the parish has had a solar moratorium for about 2.5 years, making it important to have baseline land-use rules now; proponents said applicants can still seek variances if 500-foot setbacks are too restrictive.