Arizona Solar Expansion Draws Federal Attention Over Ranching Land Dispute
As Arizona continues expanding utility-scale solar development, a new project proposed south of Estrella Mountain Ranch is drawing attention in Goodyear.
Earlier this month, I took my first look at tensions between cattle ranching and large-scale solar development in Arizona through the lens of rancher Casey Murph. In my report, Murph said he was encouraged by potential federal recourse, pointing to new USDA efforts to review complaints from farmers and ranchers who believe their land, grazing rights, or livelihoods are being unfairly targeted by government actions or development policies.
READ THE REPORT HERE
The USDA describes “agricultural lawfare” as the use of government regulations, legal actions, permitting processes, penalties, or eminent domain in ways that negatively impact farmers and ranchers. The agency is now collecting reports from producers who believe they have been affected.
NEW: Just yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins publicly weighed in on Murph’s case, writing on X that his multi-generational Arizona ranch and family legacy are “facing eviction” if Arizona cancels his state grazing lease for industrial-scale solar development. Rollins said the administration is “not letting radical green energy scams steamroll our ranchers, our beef supply, or our way of life.”
Her remarks quickly drew national attention, including responses from Congressman Eli Crane and country music artist John Rich, who was recently appointed as a Citizen Advocate by the USDA to help roll out the Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework.
The exchange drew broader national attention to what had largely been a local Arizona land-use dispute, expanding the conversation into wider debates over energy policy, ranching, and the future of rural land in the West.
USDA Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework to End Agricultural Lawfare LINK
Arizona has not publicly accused Murph of wrongdoing, and the dispute centers on land use and grazing lease issues connected to proposed solar development.
Since publishing that report, I have learned of another major solar project proposed for open land in Goodyear, Arizona, just south of the master-planned community of Estrella Mountain Ranch.
Desert Rainbow Solar Project: Information about the project and development process is available on the project website at www.aes.com/desertrainbow.
The following project documents were shared with by The AES Corporation - a Fortune 500 energy company.
Project descriptions and timelines referenced below are based on materials published or shared by AES and on the City of Goodyear website unless otherwise noted.
The project has not yet received final approval from the City of Goodyear.
This report is based on project applications, environmental filings, public planning documents, city records, company materials, and on-site observations by Jen’s Two Cents. Additional records requests remain ongoing.
A large-scale solar and battery storage project is being proposed for open desert land south of Estrella Mountain Ranch in Goodyear.
The project is prompting questions among some Goodyear and Rainbow Valley residents about future growth, wildlife impacts, land use, and how large-scale energy developments are expanding into the West Valley.
The proposed Desert Rainbow Solar Project would cover approximately 5,011 acres south of Queen Creek Road and east of Waterman Wash. Project documents describe plans for solar arrays, battery storage units, substations, fencing, internal roads, and operations buildings capable of generating approximately 550 megawatts of electricity.
The proposed Desert Rainbow Solar Project site is located approximately 2 miles south of the southern boundary of the 10,000-acre Estrella master-planned community near Pecos Road, which project documents identify as the current southern edge of Goodyear’s utility service area.
The project area is also more than 11 miles northwest of the Mobile community, according to project documents.
What This Land Looks Like Today
I recently drove through the area myself. The landscape is largely open desert terrain with cattle fencing, dirt access roads, and wide stretches of undeveloped land.
Project documents filed under Special Use Permit Case No. P25-00259 describe the area as part of the Sonoran desertscrub biotic community at elevations ranging from approximately 1,040 to 1,179 feet above sea level.
The application states the project would help address Arizona’s growing electricity demands tied to continued economic growth and expanding infrastructure needs.
“The Project would put the Property to productive use, generating much-needed electricity. Current economic growth throughout Arizona and within Maricopa County is causing an increased infrastructure burden, with a particular demand for electricity, as high-tech employment uses are moving to central Arizona. This solar generation and BESS project can help meet these electrical power needs without creating a drain on other services, such as water, wastewater, or transportation. In addition, the Project would activate this otherwise vacant land to generate additional construction sales tax and property tax revenue for the City of Goodyear as well as short-term construction jobs and several full-time jobs. Under these circumstances, the Project represents the highest and best use of the land at this time for the owner and Goodyear.”
P25-00259 Desert Rainbow Project Narrative.pdf | Prepared by SWCA Environmental Consultants and Bergin, Frakes, Smalley & Oberholtzer, PLLC
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are designed to store electricity generated by solar panels for later use during periods of high demand or lower solar production.
According to the proposal, the project would operate for approximately 40 years before eventually being decommissioned and the land restored.
One issue raised during the city’s pre-application process involved wildlife movement corridors through the project area.
Project documents show the City of Goodyear asked AES to evaluate potential impacts on wildlife movement in the area, prompting consultation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and a formal environmental review.
According to the application, the project overlaps several mapped wildlife movement areas, including:
• the Waterman Wash Riparian/Wash Movement Area
• the Vekol Valley to Rainbow Valley Diffuse Movement Area
• and the Estrella Maricopa Corridor Conservation Opportunity Area
These corridors are considered important for wildlife movement between desert habitats and mountain ranges, particularly for species such as mule deer.
AES states the project would impact wildlife habitat and temporarily disrupt some movement patterns. However, the company argues the impact represents a relatively small percentage of the broader regional corridor system.
According to project materials:
• approximately 1.14% of the Conservation Opportunity Area would be affected
• approximately 2.34% of the Diffuse Movement Area would be affected
The company says it plans to reduce impacts by avoiding floodplain and riparian areas near Waterman Wash, maintaining setbacks from sensitive areas, and potentially incorporating an east-west wildlife corridor near Chandler Heights Road.
Project documents state the proposed corridor could help maintain wildlife movement between the Sierra Estrella Wilderness and North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness areas. (Project documents (p. 22)
The application notes the land was previously planned for future residential and commercial development under an existing Preliminary PAD, adding another layer to the city’s long-term land use considerations.
The proposal also references Goodyear’s 2023 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which envisions a future unpaved trail connection following Waterman Wash and linking to the Maricopa Trail system. AES states it intends to preserve enough land near the wash for that future trail corridor.
AES documents included with this article describe the proposed Desert Rainbow Solar Project as a major energy and economic development project for Goodyear and central Arizona.
According to project materials, the development is expected to generate up to 550 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 165,000 Arizona homes.
The company also projects:
• About $200 million in tax revenue benefiting Goodyear, Maricopa County, Arizona, and local school districts over the life of the project
• Roughly 360 construction jobs
• About 20 long-term operational positions once the facility is online
The proposal, however, is also raising questions among some residents and land-use observers about long-term development patterns in the Southwest Valley.
Q&A with The AES Corporation
I submitted additional questions directly to AES.
Chloe Constant, Manager of Communications for The AES Corporation, responded promptly.
Regarding site selection, AES stated:
AES identified the location as suitable for a utility-scale solar project due to the area’s flat terrain, its remoteness from the existing development footprint, and its access to regional electric transmission infrastructure.
When asked whether this would rank among AES’s larger Arizona projects, the company responded:
AES operates a number of solar projects in Arizona, including one of similar size in Yuma County. AES presented a board at the community meeting that showed AES’s operational projects in Arizona, which can be found on the project webpage and is also attached here for convenience (page 4).
I also asked about visible cattle operations located along portions of the western boundary of the proposed project site.
AES confirmed:
Yes, there is currently cattle ranching with barbed-wire fences and cattle water catchments within the proposed project area.
Questions about long-term decommissioning and restoration have also become a major point of discussion among residents, particularly given the project’s proposed 40-year lifespan.
AES stated:
AES intends to own and operate the project. At the end of the project’s 40-year life, we will follow a decommissioning plan to decommission the project and then restore the land to the same general condition that existed prior to development. We will have bonds to ensure the funds are available when decommissioning of the site is required.
I also asked both AES and the City of Goodyear about public outreach tied to the April 14, 2026 community meeting.
AES provided the following statement:
AES was not required to hold a neighborhood meeting, but did hold a community open house on April 14, 2026, to inform nearby property owners and interested members of the public about the project.
In advance of the community meeting, AES sent a letter to property owners within one mile of the project boundary (exceeding the 500-foot mailing radius requirement for a neighborhood meeting) and posted signs at the proposed project site. The meeting was also noticed on the City of Goodyear’s website: https://www.goodyearaz.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/10752/34.
10 members of the public attended the meeting. The AES project team was available to answer their questions. A copy of the display boards that were shown at the community meeting with information about the project and the process is available on the project webpage: www.aes.com/desertrainbow. AES will continue to provide updates on the project webpage. The webpage also includes project contact information if members of the public have any questions about the project.
The City of Goodyear has also confirmed it is processing my related public records request concerning the meeting and project outreach efforts.
Note: Attempts to identify and contact the cattle ranch owner for comment were unsuccessful.
What’s next for the Desert Rainbow Solar Project?
AES documents indicate the project is expected to move next to a Goodyear Planning & Zoning Commission public hearing as part of the city’s Special Use Permit (SUP) review process.
While agendas have not yet been published, Goodyear’s website currently lists Planning & Zoning meetings on June 10th and June 24th.
If the project receives a P&Z recommendation for approval, it would then move to the Goodyear City Council for final consideration and approval.
According to AES’s timeline, construction is anticipated to begin in 2029, with commercial operation expected in late 2032.
Nearby Solar Expansion in the Southwest Valley
Project materials do not indicate any connection between the Desert Rainbow Solar Project and Google’s Mesa data center.
The proposed site covers a wide stretch of open land in Goodyear and is located within the broader Southwest Valley region that also includes Buckeye and Arizona’s separate Sonoran Solar Energy Center project, which SRP has said helps support Google operations through clean energy production.
Note: The photos included below were sent to Jen’s Two Cents and appear to show the separate Sonoran Solar project in Buckeye.
It appears the proposed Desert Rainbow Solar Project site in Goodyear would be located less than 15 miles east of Buckeye’s separate Sonoran Solar Energy Center.
In 2021, the City of Buckeye publicly announced that NextEra Energy Resources was developing the 3,000-acre Sonoran Solar Project near SR 85 and the Riggs Road alignment. At the time, Mayor Eric Orsborn described the project as a significant capital investment for Buckeye, the West Valley, and Arizona, pointing to the city’s commitment to renewable energy development.
READ THE BUCKEYE, ARIZONA WEBSITE RELEASE
SRP reported in 2024 that it and NextEra Energy Resources had commissioned the Sonoran Solar Energy Center, a 260-megawatt solar facility paired with a 1 gigawatt-hour battery energy storage system, along with the Storey Energy Center, an 88-megawatt solar and battery storage facility.
SRP stated that Google would receive clean energy output from those projects, as well as from the previously announced Babbitt Ranch Energy Center wind farm.
READ THE SRP REPORT
Additional Resources
Goodyear, Arizona Current Development Applications WEBSITE
City of Goodyear Meetings WEBSITE
Jen’s Two Cents.
As Arizona’s energy demands continue growing alongside data centers, housing, and industrial expansion, projects like Desert Rainbow Solar are increasingly placing long-standing questions about land, water, wildlife, ranching, and development directly in front of local communities and elected officials.