Speakers Cite Violations, Issues in NextEra Solar Project

SHARON SPRINGS — On Thursday, February 29th, at the Salisbury Farm on Beech Road in Sharon Springs, across from the current NextEra Solar Project, there was a very well-attended press conference advocating the protection of productive farmland in New York State.

Sandra Manko, Supervisor for the Town of Sharon introduced Assemblyman Chris Tague who hosted the conference. 

Tague began the conference by stating he is not anti-solar and he is not against any attempt at alternative energy service.  However, he said he was against losing productive farmland.  “

We have issues that we need to talk about.  There is no say at local levels when it comes to sighting solar farms. Who is responsible for keeping the solar company project accountable?” he said.

“ Farmers are struggling to keep their farmland.  Ag & Markets and DEC are doing their jobs, but the problems of the solar farm are far beyond what their staff can handle. The saying No FARMS – No Food still holds true, we cannot live without food, but we can live without large solar farms. Go on websites and you will see unscrupulous solar farms offered to farmers.  Be very careful.”

Tague argued that the Governor has lost touch with doing what is right and recommended local control and the need to hold these operators accountable.  He asked the governor to make the operators follow the local farm preservation plans and laws. Don’t bite the hand that feeds us. 

State Senator Peter Oberacker was next to address the crowd. “

We are seeing the government chipping away at our local rights and our way of life.  We need to put whole milk back in the schools, repeal the 40-hour workweek for farm legislation.  We need to get back to allowing our agricultural warriors what they do best – Farming. Farming has evolved and become more modernized,” he said.

Bill Federice, Chair of Schoharie County Board of Supervisors, thought that the State of New York was going to put together a better formula for assessing properties.  They are currently assessing the properties at a much lower rate (up to 85% lower) for the solar farms that have hurt our local tax dollar.  Renewable energy is all about the money – not just what they are going to make but from the state, giving them renewable energy credits, Federice said. 

“These are people who don’t know about making renewable energy but they do know how to make a buck. This power that they are making is not going locally, it is all going downstate. We are going to pay the price, but we won’t see a dime from it,” said Federice.

Blenheim Town Supervisor Don Airey, said there is no such thing as a solar farm – it is about energy, not a farm.  Renewable energy knows their business, they are forgetting home rule, he argued.  Comprehensive plans were put together and Albany has no regard for it, he said.  An industrial use is being forced onto the local domain.  Every town in this county has “skin in the game.”

“ If we have to give up prime farmland, pay us for it.  The government gets carbon credits and the multinational companies are getting rich from this. The State is pumping so much money in this and we have to contend with it.  Wind facilities, solar facilities – what happens when we can’t get rid of the waste? Our governor is pushing us out of scale. It is more than we can bear.” said Airey.

“Think about the ancillary battery storage facilities that are about to come. Schoharie county is investing a lot of time and money in Tourism. Our money is being wasted because they aren’t going to come to see solar farms, battery storage facilities, etc. Schoharie County led the charge and challenged them through the State Procedures Act. We won a temporary restraining order. They legislated around what they knew we were going to win – We aren’t done yet!’

Airey called on the governor and the state government to reconsider the industrial wind and solar assessment formula. He wants to bring back home rule and re-evaluate the overall NYSERDA Energy policy and Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

Bill Barbic, Town of Sharon Highway Superintendent, stated that starting this solar project is destroying local roads from heavy trucks.   He is very disappointed at the state level due to their lack of compassion. He is hopeful that NY State will back up the Town of Sharon when it comes time to clean up this mess and replace anything that has been damaged or lost from this solar project. 

He has been immersed in this for over a year and a half. 

“There is no oversight, NextERA comes in, with Article 10, and New York State backs them, they do what they want, it is like the fox is watching the Henhouse,” he said.

“There is no one stopping them or regulating what they do. This whole project has been handled wrong from the beginning.  Big business comes in, makes millions while it leaves the cleanup for the local taxpayers and the expense of it all. The financial burden of this project will cost the taxpayers millions.”

Barbic said that there “have been five different contractors over the life of this project. We catch them doing something wrong, we report it and they are gone. The next contractor for NextEra comes in. They don’t let us know what’s going on.”

He feels what they are doing is against the law.  Things are not being built right and Barbic feels the Town of Sharon will ultimately be responsible for the consequences.  He argued that the project has a team of lawyers who hound the town every day and “there is just us, the small town of Sharon trying to battle it.”

Barbicl stated, “at this point, it is too late for us, but I will do what I can to help anyone to try to prevent this from happening to your town. Feel free to call me.”

Steve Smith, Schoharie County Farm Bureau President, said that “these challenges have many layers to them. As the Farm Bureau goes, we need to make our voices heard.  We need to join together and get the message back to Albany.”

Stewart Salisbury said “We are up here on a dead-end seasonal road.  Last year solar panels moved in. We didn’t ask for them, the Town of Sharon didn’t ask for them. The runoff is coming onto my property and they said they would address the issues, but we still have very limited use on our road. Last fall we needed to cut through the hedgerow of a neighbor to get to our corn because we couldn’t use the road.”

“NextEra tried to kick Bill Barbic, the Highway Superintendent off the road. They sent him a registered letter. They can’t legally stop him.” Salisbury now has to monitor his water as a result of this project at a cost to him, not the solar farm.  

If you would like to see a video of this conference, please go to SCHOPEG.vids.io and watch it. Preserve Farmland Meeting Sharon 2-29-24. SCHOPEG has been serving the community with cable access programming on Spectrum Cable Digital 1301 and 1303.