PHOENIX — The Hobbs administration prioritizes renewable energy projects over the need for more land to build housing, legislative Republicans contend.
Led by Rep. Ralph Heap, lawmakers are one step away from approving legislation that would override a practice by the Arizona Land Department to study and make available a map where the agency believes its extensive holdings make the most sense for large-scale solar projects.
Only thing is, said the Mesa Republican, the agency is not preparing similar maps for others who might want to buy or lease state lands. And that, he told Capitol Media Services, amounts to the agency “putting its thumb” on the scale in a way that gives solar projects more priority than housing.
