“Act now to stop Duanesburg project
On Nov. 18, the Duanesburg Planning Board is expected to decide on the addition of four 53-feet containers of lithium-ion batteries at Oak Hill Solar.
The 65-acre project is sited on a principal aquifer. The height of 43,500 motorized tracking panels has increased from 8.5 to 14.5 feet. At the Oct. 21 meeting, experts spoke about lithium-ion battery energy storage and possible PFAS contamination from anti-reflective coatings. Amp’s application can be reviewed at https://www.duanesburg.net/planning-board.
The project is opposed by all adjacent landowners due to risk of explosion, fire, stormwater damage, towering industrial views and lack of visual screening.
The nearest home, 530 feet east of the shared property line, has been omitted or unidentified in project documents since 2018.
The Visual Maintenance Agreement, approved by the town board in June, is not filed with the county clerk as required.
The project does not have a Common Driveway Access Agreement. The Decommissioning Fund may be $200,000 short due to the disposal of hazardous material. Schenectady County has not weighed in because it is a “local issue.”
On Oct. 20, the project recorded two mortgages totaling $29,325,235 with the county clerk. The county received $366,770 in combined filing fees. A building permit has not been issued.
Duanesburg taxpayers may be stuck with the environmental risk and diminished property values while others profit.
Attend the Nov. 18 Planning Board meeting. Submit your comments to the board at [email protected].
Duanesburg deserves better!
Susan Biggs
Delanson”
read the entire article
Biggs, Susan. Schenectady Daily Gazette 11 November 2021.