IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY

Farms in the project area currently produce a rich assortment of crops and the land is used for cattle grazing. Hecate’s proposal is directly at odds with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Farmland Protection Program – an initiative aimed at protecting valuable, at-risk farmland from development pressures to ensure that New York’s farmland continues to be used for agriculture purposes. In 2014, the Town of Copake adopted its own Farmland Protection Plan which sets out to maintain the economic viability of Copake’s agricultural industry and farmland. Farming is not only beneficial to our local and state economy, but supporting our farm sector is one of the best ways to conserve our wildlife habitats, landscapes and rural quality of life.

Industrial-scale solar facilities pose significant environmental risks.  Productive topsoil is destroyed, and runoff and erosion of contaminated soil can occur during construction. Storms can damage solar panels, which contain highly toxic metals such as cadmium.  Additionally, any necessary clean-up of toxic waste product is difficult and costly, and there is no certified regional means of solar panel toxic waste treatment, recycling, or decommissioning.

According to Scenic Hudson, an environmental organization dedicated to preserving the scenic and ecological treasures of the Hudson Valley, the proposed facility “has the potential to significantly impact natural, agricultural and visual resources, among others… The Facility has the potential to impact surface water resources, i.e., streams including floodplains, and wetlands.” Concerns have also been raised about impacts to forested land, which covers over 45% of the site.

The Columbia Land Conservancy has raised similar concerns, stating that “a project at the scale of the Hecate proposal has the potential for numerous significant adverse impacts on ecological, natural and scenic resources.”

The 267-acre solar facility would be adjacent to Hillsdale’s Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Center and Sanctuary, and as solar installations kill tens of thousands of birds every year, the project would place our region’s birdlife – including bald eagles, peregrine falcons and Northern harrier hawks — in imminent danger. Additionally, the proposed installation would result in habitat degradation and harm to local wildlife, including beavers, black bears, bobcats, eastern coyotes, gray and red foxes, racoons, striped skunks, and white-tailed deer. Of particular concern is the impact on the Indiana bat, bog turtle and short-eared owl, which are endangered and threatened species.

The proposed industrial-scale solar installation will dramatically change the landscape of our tranquil, beautiful countryside and viewsheds for decades. Visitors from across the United States and around the world visit the Hudson Valley to experience its natural beauty, rolling fields, state forests and parks, clean lakes, green mountains and fall foliage. Trading in our region’s number one asset – our natural resources and viewsheds – for industrial sites will erase the very reason visitors flock to the Hudson Valley.

Using a formula developed by researchers at the University of Texas, homeowners in Craryville, Copake and Hillsdale who live in close proximity to the 267-acre solar installation stand to see their property values decrease by up to 10%, cumulatively up to $15 million.

The Taconic Hills Consolidated School’s property value could see a decrease of up to $3 million. Additionally, should the installation be realized, homes and farms directly abutting or in view of the utility-scale project will likely become impossible to sell.