Fincher: Proposed solar farm exposes clashing values

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“I thus drew steadily nearer to that truth … that man is not truly one, but truly two” – Robert Louis Stevenson from his novel “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”

Deep within the chambers of each person’s heart, there lies a contrast.

A yin and a yang. A lion and a lamb. A Ginger and a Mary Ann.

This contrast makes it difficult for people to decide on a set of values and consistently live by them.

Maybe you believe people need harsher punishments to bring down the crime rate, but if you receive a $200 speeding ticket for going only 10 miles an hour over the speed limit, well, that is a horse of a different color, isn’t it?

It’s not you who needs regulating. It’s those other people who are committing serious crimes or who are “really” speeding.

This brings us to the Alabama Legislature. A few weeks ago, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 71. It prohibited any state agency from adopting an environmental rule or standard that could be considered more stringent than a federal standard.

The idea behind the bill is that Alabama believes strongly in property rights, and government should interfere as little as possible when it comes to what people or businesses do with their own property.

That viewpoint has been a Republican standard for decades. More environmental regulations only inhibit businesses from creating jobs and growing the economy in the eyes of many Republicans.

Yet the yang to this yin has popped up within the very same legislative session, no less. While Republicans often cater to business interests, Alabama has also always been a very traditional state both in culture and politics.

The clash of values has come to a head from a plan to power a new data center that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is building outside Montgomery. Meta needs data centers to house the servers and equipment necessary to allow you to watch “What were you like in the 90s?” videos until your eyes bleed.

Data centers are not too controversial, even in traditional states like Alabama, except in one facet. They suck up a lot of electrical energy, which could drive up the cost of electricity for everyone.

The Montgomery data center is not Meta’s first rodeo, however. To nip the energy-use criticism in the bud, Meta is partnering with a Nashville company called Silicon Ranch to convert a 4,500-acre tract of land in northern Baldwin County into a solar panel farm to provide power to the data center.

The problem is northern Baldwin County residents are wondering if installing a massive clump of these unnatural solar panels to serve energy needs in another county could upset their traditional pastoral bliss.

Can you guess what one of the main objections to the solar farm is? Stormwater runoff from the project could damage local wetlands.

Silicon Ranch says only 2,000 acres will be filled with solar panels while the remaining 2,500 acres will be used as pastureland to lessen possible environmental harm, AL.com’s Margaret Kates reported.

Yet, suddenly some of the same legislators who were concerned about government overreach on private landowners are supporting a bill to enact a one-year pause on solar farms through much of the state to study their environmental impact.

A second bill has even been introduced that would allow county commissions the power to regulate the establishment and operation of solar farms.

While this would be a very limited power, the fact that some legislators are willing to give any additional zoning authority to county governments is somewhat stunning in itself given the state’s history on that topic.

In the end all this tempest in a teapot does is expose how most people and some elected officials do not have a disciplined way of thinking about how government should operate.

They might think they do, but the moment that staying consistent with those views causes discomfort, people often shift their thinking to accommodate their personal best interests at the expense of consistency.

And though I wag my finger from my ivory tower on this apparent contradiction, keep in mind no one can be completely consistent on every topic, including people who think a lot on these matters, such as yours truly.

You’ll eventually meet yourself coming and going on a few issues, so your goal should be to limit your contradictions as best you can.

So, law enforcement friends, if you clock me at 66 in a 55, remember it is the folks going 67 and above on whom we really need to crack down.

Brandon Fincher is an academic journal editor at Auburn University. He lives in Opelika with his wife, daughter and two Labrador retrievers. You can find his writing at brandonfincher.com.