San Diego, California-based EDF Renewables is seeking to construct a 350 Megawatt Photo voltaic and 20 MW Battery Storage undertaking within the Metropolis of Columbia. The undertaking has generated opposition from the neighborhood, and organizational teams resembling Defend Columbia have voiced their issues. Defend Columbia Organizer Nathan Seamon talks concerning the teams’ objectives.
“Our group is about defending Columbia. Because it stands the proposed Columbia Photo voltaic Mission consists of two,200 acres of land that hosts photo voltaic panels, together with a possible battery storage system. 2200 hectares equals 10% of the city’s land.”
The group had environmental issues concerning the undertaking, however noticed an even bigger subject.
“The Metropolis of Columbia is usually a dairy farming and crop land space, and to take 2200 acres of cultivated acres and pasture land at the moment with meals provide and elevated prices of meals issues. That may be a severe concern for us.”
Anti-Columbia Photo voltaic indicators are scattered across the City of Columbia, however the fact is that native municipalities now not have the authority to cease giant photo voltaic. That is as a result of lawmakers in Albany handed Article 94, which supplies New York’s Workplace of Renewable Power authority over bigger photo voltaic farms. Which means native municipalities don’t have any jurisdiction over photo voltaic tasks that produce greater than 25 megawatts of energy.
“Article 94c was an actual recreation changer that the State signed into legislation in 2019, and that basically took dwelling rule off the desk for any undertaking that was sufficiently big to be moved to 94c, and that is an actual concern for small cities. like Columbia.”
Regardless of the State’s authority, tons of of residents plan to oppose the proposed undertaking.
“Now we have tons of of individuals throughout the metropolis and surrounding cities supporting our efforts, and that is a kind of conditions the place it is not over till it is over. There are numerous technicalities that must be handled. We’re working with the authorized that talent to assist us although the method.”
EDF has acquired tons of of acres of land, however has not but submitted a allow to New York State.
