STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Arizona State Representative Ralph Heap today introduced House Bill 2975, directing the Arizona State Land Commissioner to immediately suspend the Department’s “Solar Scores” map and engage stakeholders to develop comparable land-use maps for homebuilding and mining.

The Department’s solar map has drawn criticism from multiple industries and raised serious concerns about housing affordability.

Regarding the legislation, Representative Heap issued the following statement:

“State law requires the State Land Commissioner to manage trust land for its highest and best use in the best interests of the state. By designating a map for solar, but not other industries, the Hobbs administration is effectively declaring solar the preferred use of this land.

 For many residents, these parcels are among the worst possible locations for utility-scale solar: near established residential neighborhoods, directly in the path of growth, and on land that could otherwise support new housing. At a time when housing affordability is a top concern for Arizonans—and when communities are increasingly frustrated with large wind and solar projects being placed in their backyards—Hobbs placing new renewable energy development in the heart of urban and suburban cores makes zero sense.

 HB 2975 requires the State Land Department to suspend the map immediately, ensuring that renewable energy projects are not artificially prioritized near populated areas. The bill aligns with HB 2267, which establishes that new renewable energy projects located within four miles of residential communities are a public nuisance.

 Governor Hobbs hasn’t made affordability a priority. Instead, her administration is focused on handing out sweetheart deals to her friends in the renewable energy industry, who have already received $2.3 billion in ratepayer funds from Attorney General Kris Mayes. After three years in office, it is increasingly clear that the governor’s priority to maintain restrictive growth boundaries around Phoenix serves to drive out homebuilding and limit competition and make surrounding land unattractive for anyone other than solar development.”

Ralph Heap is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 10 in Mesa. Follow him on X at @DrRalphHeap.