• Focusing on road safety, workforce impacts, and wildlife concerns

Lincoln County is moving into the next phase of review for a proposed solar project near Cokeville, after an earlier permit was granted with a construction-timing condition that was later extended, Commissioner Mel Shumway said.

Shumway told listeners during the Weekday Wake-Up that Lincoln Solar has applied for the needed permit through county Planning and Zoning. “My understanding is that Lincoln Solar has applied for a permit to the Planning and Zoning,” he said. “So once it comes out of there, the commission will get eyes on it.”

RELATED: RADIO INTERVIEW WITH COMMISSIONER MEL SHUMWAY –

The commissioner said the project is known as the “Cokeville Solar Project,” and that the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council approved its original permit on March 8, 2022. “One of the conditions stated that the permittee shall commence construction within three years following the date of that award permit,” Shumway said. He added that the project later encountered delays as inflation and costs rose. “Well, things kind of got bogged down on their end,” he said. “Inflation hit, cost escalated.”

According to Shumway, the permit holder requested an extension and received approval, bringing the project back on track for active permitting and construction timelines. “So as we move forward to 2026, now we see that the permit process is starting to go,” he said.

Shumway said the proposed facility would be located in unincorporated Lincoln County near the state line road, “on the backside of Cokeville towards the Randolph Junction.” The project would be sited primarily within Lincoln County along County Road 207. “It’s about 500 plus acres,” he said. “It’ll be on private land,” Shumway said, noting the company’s estimate of revenue for the county.

He said the proposal includes projected recurring revenues, including property tax payments beginning in 2028. “This is out of their report, including an annual property tax payment of $970,000 per year starting in 2028,” Shumway said.

Beyond taxes, the commissioner said the county’s evaluation will focus on practical impacts, including workforce needs and road safety. “Workforce, impact to county roads,” he said. He emphasized that the project may differ from earlier industrial-siding classifications, but still requires careful attention to traffic. “We want to make sure that the roads, the commuter traffic, the work traffic, and the local traffic are going to be safe,” he said. “There are just a few safety concerns that we need to be aware of.”

Shumway said officials would coordinate with relevant federal agencies on wildlife and habitat concerns. “We’ll work closely with BLM and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over any species concerns and habitat concerns,” he said.