An effort to temporarily halt and regulate a controversial South Alabama solar farm is raising concerns that legislation moving through Montgomery could inadvertently slow the expansion of clean energy across the state.
The issue surfaced Tuesday during a public hearing on legislation that would impose a one-year moratorium on new solar power facilities. The bill was discussed before the Alabama House Transportation, Utilities, and Infrastructure Committee.
But the legislation’s sponsor says the goal is not to hinder the solar industry or restrict economic activity statewide. Instead, Republican Rep. Matt Simpson of Daphne said the legislation is aimed at slowing a single project in rural North Baldwin County that has alarmed residents near unincorporated Stockton…