By Matt Freeze —<\/p>\n
OWEGO \u2014 When Town Supervisor Don Castellucci asked the board last Tuesday for a motion to approve the decommissioning plan for a proposed 160-acre solar project on Monstrose Turnpike, it was met with 20 seconds of silence before he said, \u201cAll right, well, I guess we\u2019ll have to table that.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the pause, Councilman Craig Jochum said that they\u2019re trying to do their due diligence with the project because it\u2019ll be the responsibility of future generations to contend with.<\/p>\n
Jochum confirmed with company representatives from SunEast Valley Solar LLC that there wouldn\u2019t be any batteries involved with the project, but in discussions with area fire departments about how they handle a potential solar farm fire, they told him they\u2019re not allowed inside the fence.<\/p>\n
Because it\u2019s an electrical fire, they\u2019re just supposed to let it burn, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole thing just melts down, all the materials \u2014 lead and whatever \u2014 just melt down into the ground,\u201d Jochum said. \u201cNot that this happens a lot, but it has happened, and I understand some firefighters have passed away from doing this. Shouldn\u2019t we include the cost of remediating 160 acres of potentially contaminated ground?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jochum said the concern is that the cost would exceed the bond issued for decommissioning and leave the town with the bond and taxpayers footing the environmental cleanup bill.<\/p>\n
Company representatives said they hadn\u2019t seen such a thing included in a decommissioning plan before, but agreed the standard practice is to let the fire burn and contain it from spreading.<\/p>\n
Jochum said the board\u2019s hesitancy to approve additional projects like this one stems from feeling they had been lied to about the scope of the most recent 13.5 MW solar project located off of Pennsylvania Avenue in Apalachin, on about 56 acres of hillside.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir exact words, if I get them right: \u2018We do not disturb the soil, the only disturbance is when we stick a post in the ground to put the racks on,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThey have been on that project for over a year with two D6, D8 dozers, an excavator, and rock trucks moving dirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an area that has a lot of residents below it and has been an area that gets wet, let\u2019s say,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
During the September 2011 flood, residences below that hill were flooded with runoff from that hill.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey told us $15,000 to regrade it, and they\u2019ve spent millions \u2014 literally millions \u2014 moving dirt,\u201d Jochum said. \u201cSo, when we get numbers \u2014 and I\u2019m not saying this is you specifically \u2014 I\u2019ll tell you what: It\u2019s red flags all day long.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jochum said he just wanted to be open about it so that people could understand where at least some of the board members are coming from.<\/p>\n
Councilman Gary Hellmers asked whether there has been confirmation from NYSEG that the substation could accept the additional power coming into the grid.<\/p>\n
Castellucci said he believes it was a verbal confirmation.<\/p>\n
Construction Manager Kyle Suther said the company has been working closely with NYSEG on the project, and all the facilities studies have been done.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou guys seem reputable,\u201d Hellmers said. \u201cI just want to make sure the taxpayers are covered \u2014 that\u2019s our job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Councilman Dean Morgan told everyone in attendance that the original decommissioning proposal was $124,000; now, it\u2019s a little over $6.1 million.<\/p>\n
The board then unanimously voted to table the approval of the decommissioning plan.<\/p>\n
The $24 million project uses panels with a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years, and after their useful life, they would be taken to designated recycling centers outside of the state.<\/p>\n
One resident who didn\u2019t identify herself said she supports solar projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d rather have a field of solar panels next to my house than a field of corn,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have a lot more pollution from all the corn growing in this area than you have from solar. (It has) fungicide, pesticides, fertilizers, and it gets into rivers and causes big problems because of nitrogen and phosphorus.\u201d<\/p>\n
If anyone really cares about pollution, they should do something about the corn grown here because it is causing a lot of problems, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot to say I don\u2019t appreciate your concern about decommissioning and all that with the solar panels, but I do believe it\u2019s a lot less of a problem than what people get from plain old farming,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s more of a concern than people think.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Matt Freeze is a senior writer at The Morning Times)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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