GASPORT – The Hartland town board has approved a new moratorium on the development of utility-scale solar energy generation and battery storage.
Following a contentious public hearing that lasted for over an hour, the town board adopted a six-month halt to town processing of any applications for permits related to utility-scale solar development in a 3-0 vote.
Voting in favor of the moratorium were newly installed town supervisor Margaret Zaepfel and town board members Elizabeth Neadow and Sean Walp. Board member Joseph Reed recused himself from the vote, since some of his property may host EDF Renewables’ proposed 350-megawatt Ridge View Solar Center, while board member David Huntington was absent from the meeting.
Zaepfel noted that the moratorium applies only to “large-scale” solar projects in the town.
“Rooftop (solar installations) and things like that are not part of it,” Zaepfel said. “Now, what is part of it is anything that’s probably over 50 acres, that are large scale industrial projects. The ones that we’re mostly concerned with are projects that fall under 94-c.”
The moratorium will give the town board an opportunity to review and make amendments to the two laws the town board adopted last June pertaining to the siting of solar arrays and spelling out the town’s policy on battery storage, she added.
In the near-capacity meeting room, 20 people spoke during the hour-long public hearing including residents who expressed their thoughts on both sides of the issue.
Those who spoke in favor of the moratorium expressed concerns over setbacks, a potential negative impact on property value and potential dangers of lithium-ion batteries that would be used for energy storage.
“We don’t know 100% if it will contaminate our land or not,” resident Terry Farina said. “Our look local firefighters are told if the battery storage (catches on fire), let it burn…local fire companies don’t have the equipment for this.”
Most comments in favor of the moratorium received an audible reaction of applause from the audience.
Resident Linda Ark, who said she may lease some of her land to EDF, said that while she is ok with instituting the moratorium, she was critical of those who are opposed to the project.
“I can’t speak to anything else because I’m not an expert,” Ark said. “But what I’ve heard here tonight, I don’t think you need the moratorium to look into it further because it seems like you have all your experts right in this room.“I think that if that’s what it takes to bring peace and decorum to our town and to weave people back to any sense of community, absolutely that should happen.”
EDF Renewables’ director of development, Kevin Campbell, was also in attendance at the meeting and spoke during the public hearing. Campbell said he and his employer believe that the moratorium was “unnecessary” since they do not plan to file their application to the state this year and he welcomed meetings with town officials and residents.
“Since the beginning of Ridge View Solar in 2019, we’ve been open to creating relationships and exchanging ideas and information with the community and hearing your interests,” Campbell said.
“Three things brought us to Hartland. First, the transmission lines can accommodate the energy we produce. Second, the open land provides the area to install the solar arrays with minimal tree clearing and environmental disruption. Third, community support from the 50 families who participate in the project and others in the community who are not directly participating. Together, these three synergies give us a real viable project in the town of Hartland.”
After Campbell spoke, several residents attempted to direct questions towards him concerning the life of the project and decommissioning, until the board told the audience to only state their comments towards them.
Also circulating at the meeting was a drafted letter written by town officials for residents to take and mail to Gov. Kathy Hochul to voice their opposition to the project and the 94-c process.
“We also now know that the prime farmland that we need to feed our people will be lost forever; the land will be left of brownfields for future generations. Our property values will decrease. Wildlife will be displaced and eradicated. Our community will be left with a myriad of other problems for generations to come,” the letter read in part.
“It’s just going through exactly how we feel and what we had heard when we were on that side of the fence… We’d like Kathy Hochul to address some of these issues because it is a crisis,” Zaepfel said.