SENSIBLE SOLAR (STILL) OPPOSES SHEPHERD’S RUN.

Sensible Solar for Rural New York is a coalition of concerned citizens in rural Columbia County, New York in strong opposition to the Shepherd’s Run Solar Project – a proposed 267-acre, 60 MW industrial-size solar installation to be sited near New York State Route 23, Route 7 and Route 11A in Craryville and Copake, NY – adjacent to the Taconic Hills Central School,  on top of the Taghkanic Creek Watershed (the source of Hudson’s drinking water,) and in the immediate vicinity of Copake Lake and the Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Sanctuary.

In January, 2024, 60 acres of the proposed project  were sold to a new landowner who does not intend to lease it to Hecate. Following this dramatic development, Hecate’s application to ORES, the New York State permitting agency, was rejected.

But Hecate has not gone away.

Hecate is currently seeking a NY State renewable energy contract for a similar, slightly smaller 42 MW facility at Shepherd’s Run. The NYS contract, potentially worth millions of dollars, could be awarded in just a few weeks.

Should Hecate get that contract, we expect they will then reapply to ORES for a permit to build Shepherd’s Run.

See our comments on their recent promotional brochure HERE.

Shepherd’s Run is opposed by all our local elected officials including State Senator Michelle Hinchey (click HERE for letter), Assemblymember Didi Barrett (click HERE for letter) and Congressman Marc Molinaro (click HERE for letter) 

We are opposed to the scale of the proposed Hecate Shepherd’s Run Project and are concerned about the impacts this project will have on our rural community.

Copake was featured in a January 6, 2024 podcast on Reveal News about rural communities pushing back against large-scale solar development.

See the latest updates on this project AND most importantly, how you can help, by clicking below:

Latest Updates on the Project CLICK HERE

Action Steps & Key Message Points CLICK HERE