The man who coined ‘America’s Amazon’ says the Stockton solar site is not worth the fight

Ben Raines, an acclaimed environmental journalist renowned for coining "America's Amazon" for the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, offered his perspective on the contentious Stockton solar project during a segment on "Midday Mobile with Sean Sullivan." Raines evaluated the 4,500-acre tract in Mobile County, slated for a 260-megawatt Silicon Ranch solar farm designed to supply power to a Meta data center in Montgomery. He asserted that the property is not a pristine wetland but rather an already "heavily impacted" area dominated by planted pine. The solar farm proposal has generated "fierce local opposition" from residents who feel blindsided by the development. This community backlash prompted State Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) to introduce SB354, a bill proposing a one-year statewide solar moratorium, which has advanced through committee and is awaiting a vote in the full Senate. Conversely, Senator Albritton's moratorium bill has met strong resistance from the industry. The American Clean Power Association, a national trade group, cautioned that a statewide ban could undermine Alabama's solar industry, which supports over 3,000 jobs, and send a negative signal to potential investors nationwide about the state's business climate. Raines further highlighted that the same site had previously been proposed for a large residential subdivision, which he believes would have had a "so much more destructive" impact on the local creeks and Delta ecosystem compared to the solar farm. He concluded by suggesting that if development on the land is inevitable, solar power represents a less harmful alternative, advising Alabamians to strategically choose their environmental battles.