OAK HILL SOLAR: At the March 17, 2022 Planning Board Meeting the board approved the Resolution to Amend the Oak Hill Solar Special Use Permit and Site Plan.
Conditions listed on page 15 include:
“(1) Approval of the Amendment to the Decommissioning Agreement, which is related to the revised Decommissioning Plan and the revised amount of the associated financial security for the implementation of the Agreement, by the Town Board prior to the commencement of construction of the solar panels and Battery Energy Storage;
(2) Submission of an acknowledgement of receipt by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (“NYSDEC”) of the NOI and the final Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (“SWPPP”) to the Building Inspector by the Applicant, prior to commencing construction.
(3) The Applicant shall provide payment for all outstanding fees, including any invoices by Town Planning Board Consultant for review and the first annual training prior to commencing construction;
(4) The Applicant shall provide the Building Inspector with copies of all other approvals issues for the Project, including the renewed or reissued New York State Department of Transportation (“NYSDOT”) Highway Work Permit and sign-off by New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (“NYSERDA”); and
(5) After completion of the Project and prior to commencing operation, the Applicant mist meet with emergency responders at the Property to discuss the procedures to be followed in the event of fire and other emergencies. Within five (5) days of the meeting, the Applicant must provide the Town Planning Board with hard copies of the meeting minutes. The site specific emergency plan must be presented to the Building Inspector and to the VFC prior to that training by the Applicant and a copy must be kept on file with the Town Clerk. The meeting minutes mist indicate the name and contact information for each of the attendees and provide a detailed description of the procedures that will be followed by the emergency responders in the event of a fire or other emergency and;
(6) In the event the Building Inspector finds that the existing source of off-site water are insufficient for firefighting purposes for any reason as confirmed in writing by the VFC having responsibility for the Fire Protection District, Applicant will be responsible for providing a sufficient water source; and
(7) After completion of the Project and prior to the commencement of operation, the Applicant shall retain the services of a New York State licensed professional engineer to provide post -construction certification that the Project complies with applicable codes industry practices and has been constructed according to the approved special use permit and site plans; and
(8) After commencement of operations, the Applicant shall monitor noise levels at the property boundary to ensure that the levels from the solar facility are with those predicted in the sound study submitted by the Applicant; and
(9) Prior to the commencement of construction, the Applicant shall attend a pre-construction meeting with the Building Inspector and Town Designated Engineer to confirm the completion of the completion of the pre-construction conditions; and
(10) All SWPPP inspections and reporting during construction will be undertaken by a Qualified Inspector. Copies of the inspection reports shall be submitted to the Town Building Inspector within five (5) days of the inspection.
(11) The Decommissioning Cost Estimate shall be updated every 5 years by a N.Y.S. licensed P.E. and be provided to the Town for review and approval and for the security for the decommissioning to be adjusted accordingly.”
view application records from Amp’s drop box
request Freedom of Information for emails, meeting recordings, resident comments, ect from Town of Duanesburg jhowe@duanesburg.net
On September 19, 2019 the Duanesburg Planning Board approved Eden Renewables Oak Hill Solar 1 and 2, LLC’s Special Use Permit and Site Plan. Application documents (Site Plan, Resolution and SEQR Negative Declaration) do not reflect battery energy storage system (BESS).The original documents presented to the town and residents at the July and August 2019 Public Hearings were for two 5 MW AC solar arrays. At that time the developer omitted the nearest residence, did not supply a glare study and did not file a Notice of Intent with the DEC. The Project was not published in the Environmental Notice Bulletin until June 2020.
The July 2021 request for an Amendment includes four 53 feet containers of lithium ion batteries, doubles the amount of roadways, increases site disturbance from 0.88 acres to 65 acres. The Applicant wants to increase the height of the tracking solar panels from 7.4 feet to 14.5 feet. Battery Energy Storage may be unsafe for our first responders, may contaminate the underlying principal aquifer, and it may create additional hazardous waste disposal issues for the town.
The addition of batteries does not increase the PILOT or benefit our town. It may increase tax payer liability.
Please submit your comments to the town supervisor and planning board today: jhowe@duanesburg.net
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Thank you first responders to explosion and fire at proposed site of Eden Renewables Oak Hill Solar, 13590 Duanesburg Road, Sunday March 8 at 6:30 am.
