FORT MOHAVE — Opponents of a proposed power plant near the Fort Mojave neighborhood met Thursday to share information and discuss options.
Less than a half-mile from the Mojave Electric Cooperative's proposed site, Mac McKeever and his wife, Deb, have built a huge RV garage they affectionately call “the boat ramp” at Sunrise. More than 100 people, mostly residents of the Valley View Hills development, filled the crowd. Build gas-fired power plants to meet member and customer demand.
“We're not against power plants,” McKeever said. “We're just objecting to the location they're proposing.”
The site is east of the Sunrise Hills neighborhood, between Joy Lane and Antionette Avenue in Fort Mojave, and within 600 feet of several homes. The edge of the property where the site is planned is less than 400 feet from where Thursday's meeting took place, McKeever said.
MEC will also consider secondary sites within 4,000 feet of existing homes and closer to already planned areas south of Antionette Avenue on the 240-acre property the nonprofit cooperative purchased in 2022. Then he said.
MEC purchased three parcels totaling approximately 242 acres from B&R Development in May 2022. Last October, the MEC sought and received an amendment to a 2018 Mohave County Board of Supervisors resolution that would prevent the power plant from occupying either property. Suggested site. Residents were upset after supervisors voted 4-1 to approve an extension to the rezoning more than three years after it was due to expire.
A continuing issue for opponents is the health risks posed by polluting power plants, especially to neighborhoods with large numbers of elderly people.
“It's going to have a direct impact on the health of a lot of people,” said McKeever, a retiree. He also noted that his own research shows that a nearby power plant could reduce property values by “9% to 15%.”
Mr McKeever also said he and many others felt the MEC had not been transparent enough in seeking amendments to the 2018 resolution. Documents filed with the county, as well as legal publications required by state law, referred to “energy facilities” and did not specifically refer to gas power plants. Several residents said they believed the MEC was planning more solar activities, as there are already several solar power plants in the area.
“We all thought it was just a solar energy field,” McKeever said.
Even District 5 Supervisor Ron Gould, who was the only vote against an amendment to a 2018 resolution written to allow a closed mineral landfill plant that never originally broke ground, said the request was initially rejected by board members. He said that when he came up to the meeting, he thought it was for a solar power plant.
Although MEC announced plans to increase the number of live association members at its 2023 annual general meeting, none of the residents of Sunrise Hills are MEC members. Their power is supplied by his UniSource, a fact that has been communicated to the opposition.
“The people who are most affected are not going to see any benefit,” McKeever said.
Kimberly Zanon, a candidate for Arizona State Senate in Arizona's 30th Congressional District, which includes Fort Mojave, was one of the guests and said she was asked why she was attending even though she lives in Lake Havasu City.
“If they wanted to, they would do it to anyone,” she said, referring to Fort Mojave neighbors as “them.”
MEC plans to hold a public town hall on February 12 at the nearby Los Lagos Golf Course to provide a wealth of information about the project, including the location of the second alternative site. Opponents, united under the banner “Not in any Neighborhood,” plan to attend because they feel there are still many unanswered questions.
They have already distributed about 4,000 flyers to residents near the proposed site, attended supervisors' meetings and held a similar meeting Thursday.
We have also launched a website. notinanyneighborhood.org, Facebook page. They plan to continue distributing flyers and selling T-shirts. They gave Gould a flyer saying, “We can't accept gifts, so you have to pay for the T-shirt,” and set up a rally for February 9. Black Mountain Real Estate in Fort Mojave.
One resident asked if Kingman should continue to have a presence at BOS meetings.
“We don't think we're hurting our cause” by doing so, Gould said, but most in attendance weren't sure it would do any good either.
One person asked McKeever if the group was planning or considering legal action.
“I think we have sufficient legal recourse,” McKeever said, before adding, “In my personal opinion, it's a bad idea,” given the cost of taking such action. It’s an idea,” he quickly added.
