Farmland and water are two precious Columbia County commodities, both for health reasons and the local economy, and they also come at a premium when locally produced food is all the rage.
The Hudson Common Council sided with several other local governments Tuesday when its members unanimously approved a resolution opposing New York State approval of the construction of the Hecate Shepherd’s Run Solar project in Copake until the company can prove the project will not have an adverse impact on the Taghkanic Creek Watershed, the source of the city’s water supply.
The council joined the towns of Claverack, Hillsdale and Taghkanic, which have passed similar resolutions. Shepherd’s Run is a proposed 60-megawatt solar farm that would be built on a 220-acre parcel on Route 23 and Route 7 in Copake and Craryville.
Copake officials have tried for a long time to work with Hecate on the solar project proposal, but the company has either been unresponsive or have failed to make concessions that satisfied the town’s interests.
To be clear, the government and people of Copake do not oppose the project. As environmentally conscious Columbia County residents, they understand the value of renewable energy and they believe in climate change. But they also believe the proposed installation is too large for the town. They have expressed their willingness to work with Hecate to come up with a better plan but they say, the company hasn’t conceded to any of their requests.
The Copake Town Board and now the Hudson Common Council say the state should not grant approval of the company’s application or grade it complete until Hecate can give ironclad assurances that the solar installation will not do harm to the water from the Taghkanic Creek.
The people have Copake still have many questions. We think it’s time Hecate provides the answers.
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