Local leaders raise concerns over solar farms on farmland

Feb. 29—Dozens of residents visited Stuart Salisbury's dairy farm in Sharon Springs to advocate for home rule and against the increase of renewable energy projects being placed on prime farmland.

"I am not against solar," Assemblyman Chris Tague, R,C-Schoharie, said. "I'm against filling valuable farmland with solar. Once it's built, we'll be losing the productive farmland forever."

Tague warned farmers in attendance not to sign agreements with solar companies. He said one farmer he represents signed contracts and the company went bankrupt. The farmer is now liable for the $1.2 million lien on their property. Attorney General Leticia James also has a warning to farmers on her website about this, he said. "One fact no one can deny is 'no farms, no food,'" he said. "You can survive without large solar farms."

Salisbury's dairy farm sits near the end of Sakon Road in Sharon Springs next to a solar farm being built on his neighbor's property, which was prime farmland.

"Up here on a dead end road, corporate America is right across the street," he said.

Salisbury said he knew a solar farm was going to be built across the road from his farm, but "we didn't know the size or degree in which it would affect us." In order to keep his farm productive, he rents land from neighbors to grow crops. Last year, while he was trying to harvest his crops, the company was traveling up and the down the road with heavy trucks during construction and he was unable to take his combine down the road, so he had to cut a hole in a hedgerow along the property line with a neighbor to get to the cornfield. He said the company told him it would take two weeks to build the road to the construction site, but it's been three and a half months.

He was also told by state Agriculture and Markets that he should start testing his water well for contaminants from the solar project.

Town of Sharon Springs Highway Superintendent Bill Barbic said the heavy trucks have torn up the road, putting a burden on the town's highway department, and a culvert pipe had to be replaced. "There's better spot for these things," he said. "In the medians of I-90, on parking garages."

The issue of home rule also irritated Tague and other members of the panel, which included State Sen. Peter Oberacker, R-Schenevus, Chairman Schoharie County Board of Supervisors Bill Federice, Town of Blenheim Supervisor Don Airey, Town of Sharon Springs Supervisor Sandra Manko, Barbic, Steve Smith, Farm Bureau Region 9 representative and Schoharie County Farm Bureau president, and Salisbury. The state constitution guarantees local towns have home rule and can pass laws to regulate what happens in the town, including renewable energy projects. However, when Andrew Cuomo was governor, he signed Executive Law 94-c, which grants the Office of Renewable Energy Siting the authority to override local laws. The state Real Property Tax also implemented rates for renewable energy projects, which are 87% less than what they should be, Federice said. For example, the taxes on the solar project in Sharon Springs are $33,000, but should be $235,000. Schoharie County sued the state over this, but before it could go to court, the state legislature passed a provision in the state budget to implement the tax law, over the objection of Tague and Oberacker.

Members of Stop Energy Sprawl attended the meeting and asked Oberacker and Tague about Part O of Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposed 2025 budget, which would move the ORES from the Department of State to the Department of Public Service so permitting of renewable energy and electric transmission facilities could be expedited. Oberacker, who sits on the finance committee, said the budget talks hadn't started yet because the legislature was focused on the Congressional maps. He said he would be against that part of the budget.

Patty Matelitz, who was carrying a sign that said "Local Control, Not Hochul Control," said she "hoped Gov. Hochul takes to heart what was said today and do what is right."

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.