NationalGrid Rep Marta Lasch (standing right) presenting suggestions to the ordinance
The Greene County Board of Supervisors are narrowing in on the final details of a new ordinance.
For the past few weeks, the Board has been putting together an ordinance for utility-scale solar energy projects. NationalGrid Renewables is proposing to install a 100-megawatt solar panel farm near Grand Junction. Representatives have been at the previous two supervisors meetings to give their recommendations and suggestions. Supervisor Chair John Muir tells Raccoon Valley Radio they continue to receive input and they have also considered NationalGrid Renewables suggestions, but not part of a negotiation process.
“They’ve given us their opinion. And I think all along, the whole time, we’ve let them know that that’s all it was their opinion. We were trying to educate ourselves. We don’t have any experience (in solar panel projects) and then we adjusted it or looked at other counties and the state, how they’ve settled their ordinances. It was, I think, important for us to see their view of a successful project was.”
Muir points out the Board has made up its mind on several of the setbacks, including 600 feet from a dwelling and the limit of 1,000 acres per project, with at least two miles of separation from another project. He says they are continuing to work with NationalGrid Renewables on their project as well.
“We requested a map of the site at Grand Junction. Mainly because we want to be able to look at something as we’re visualizing how it’s going to lay out and we want to compare if you tweaked some of our outer distance requirements, how that would affect the whole footprint? So that’s kind of where we’re at now. I think we’re very close to settling on the numbers that we presented.”
Muir encourages anyone to review the ordinance and make comments to any of the supervisors ahead of their final discussion on the ordinance next week, before they hold a public hearing next month. Click the link below to see all of the ordinances ahead of the re-codification hearing.