COUNCIL HILL, Okla. — Sam Stamper lives in Council Hill, a small community south and west of Muskogee made up mostly of open fields.
"We were just a little old farm town, and we were proud of it," Stamper said. "Nowadays you drive down through here, and you see the construction for what's coming."
WATCH: 'Nobody knew what was coming': Council Hill residents upset with solar project
What's coming is a massive solar panel project. The land used for the plan, called High Spring Solar just north of Council Hill, totals around 4,500 acres.
"To change the scope of this land the way that we are, it's unbelievable to me," Stamper said. "Sickening in a lot of ways."
Residents voiced two key concerns. First, what they call a lack of transparency.
"It's frustrating to me that residents here, state officials, had no idea the magnitude of the project, and it was happening before we figured it out," Stamper said. "Nobody knew what was coming until it was here."
Stamper says his biggest concern overall is the added heavy traffic from semi-trucks, rock trucks and more from construction all coming down two lane dirt roads.
"When I say this, I'm not exaggerating, thousands on thousands of trucks coming down here," Stamper said. "It's gotten to be such a safety hazard on this highway, that people are changing their daily lives. You know, they're taking a different route."
Area politicians hope to address that. 2 News reached out to State Senator Bryan Logan, who's working to re-route that construction traffic. He says in part "the increased traffic, semi-trucks and infrastructure demands are real concerns, and I'm pushing for clear answers on how they plan to address them."
His full statement:
"We have been in communication with local officials and the companies because public safety can't be an afterthought. The increased traffic, semi-trucks and infrastructure demands are real concerns, and I'm pushing for clear answers on how they plan to address them. This is a local control issue at its core. The people who live here should decide what's best for their future, and I'm going to make sure they have every piece of information they need to make that decision."
Here is the full statement from Nextera Energy:
Safety is our top priority every single day, for employees, project teams and the surrounding community.
Since arriving on site in February, the High Spring project construction team has been actively monitoring and planning traffic routes, with full construction activity beginning in July. The project construction team has implemented a number of steps to help ensure public safety during construction. For more information on the specifics, please contact Blattner Energy at media@blattnercompany.com.
Beyond safety, we remain excited about the benefits the project will deliver to the community. During construction and once operational by the end of 2027, the High Spring project will boost the local economy through both construction and full-time jobs. It is also providing indirect income for local businesses, including hotels and restaurants.
Once operational, the High Springs project is expected to generate approximately $54 million in additional tax revenue to the local community.
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