“The Duanesburg Planning Board will meet at 7 p.m. on Aug. 19.
They may review CTEC’s application for a 3-MWac solar project located at 10516 Western Turnpike; Kruger Energy’s application for a 5-MWac solar project located at 909 Alexander Road; and a wind project application for a 3-kWh turbine located at 5559 Schoharie Turnpike.
Landowners should be permitted to use their property in accordance with local law.
The town should require projects be compliant with the federal, state and local laws.
In September 2019, the planning board approved Oak Hill Solar 1 and 2, even though the project’s site plan did not provide an engineer’s or architect’s seal and signature as required by sate law. Based upon the same site plan, NYSERDA awarded the project at least $7.5 million and NY Green Bank facilitated Oak Hill Solar obtaining $29 million in mortgages.
In December 2022, 11 rows of photovoltaic panels, approximately 2,000 panels, collapsed. To date, the panels are still on the ground. Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests have not yielded a construction bond.
The county clerk records show more than $1.5 million in unpaid mechanical liens filed against the property. The code enforcement officer does not appear to have access to the site. The project is in disarray.
The town of Duanesburg’s compliance enforcement and its oversight on the Oak Hill Solar project is a cautionary tale we can all learn from.
Concerned citizens should attend Thursday’s town meeting and help their volunteer planning board members uphold the law.
Lynne Bruning
Quaker Street”
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Bruning, Lynne. Schenectady Daily Gazette 15 August 2023.