Smart Solar Amherst
Supporting responsible, environmentally sound solar development in Amherst
Town manager appoints four individuals to serve on new Solar Bylaw Working Group, three more to be appointed soon
Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockleman has nominated four people to serve on the Solar Bylaw Working Group. They are:
- Janet McGowan (representing the Planning Board)
- Dwayne Breger (representing the Energy and Climate Action Committee)
- Laura Pagliarulo (representing the Conservation Commission)
- Jack Jemsek (representing the Water Supply Protection Committee)
A solar battle in sleepy Wareham is pitting environmentalists against each other
Boston Globe Solar in Massachusetts article
April Solar Project Update Presentation
Last Sunday’s presentation was very well attended and received. If you missed it, you can now view it on the Smart Solar Western Mass website homepage:
https://sites.google.com/view/smartsolarwmass/home
During this presentation, we look at each of the six proposed sites, their size, elevation and relationship to the watershed. We also look at these proposals in the context of the heavy logging Cowls lumber Co. is already doing in these areas and on conserved land. Each of our concerns is articulated with the reasons we are so worried. We hope this presentation, a collaborative effort between Smart Solar Amherst and Smart Solar Shutesbury, is informative and awakens you to a looming local disaster. Please share widely
Town of Amherst Finalizes Purchase of Hickory Ridge Golf Course
The Town of Amherst is the new owner of a 150-acre parcel of land on West Pomeroy Lane in South Amherst, formerly home to the Hickory Ridge Golf Course. After almost four years of planning, the Town recently paid $520,000 for the land, a bargain sale negotiated with the owner, Fort River Solar 2, LLC. The land has been appraised at $5,025,000. The seller will retain the option of leasing 26 acres of parcel from the Town for 20 years to install a solar array that will produce 6.44 megawatts of electricity annually. The solar array will include a 3,500-kilowatt battery storage system. (Source = Town of Amherst website)
WWLP report on the purchase.
Local Solar Disaster in Williamsburg
Below is a video made by Smart Solar Shutesbury that shows the local devastation caused by a much smaller solar project in Williamsburg than those proposed in Amherst, Shutesbury, and Pelham.
Not only was the initial flooding from the solar installation site catastrophic, but the remediation has compounded the damage to the forest, wetlands and waterways.
Emily Cohen video: 7min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DEvEU4BCKU
AMP Withdraws Application!
(Tues. Nov. 22) ASD Shutesbury MA Solar has WITHDRAWN its application to build a 45 acre industrial solar installation off of Shutesbury Road in Amherst, according to Town Manager Paul Bockelman.
About Smart Solar Amherst
WHO? Smart Solar Amherst is a coalition of Amherst residents that support the development of renewable energy sources, while protecting forests, native habitats, water, and biodiversity.
WHAT? W.D. Cowls has engaged AMP, a Canadian energy firm, to develop a large-scale 45-acre ground-mounted solar installation. This installation would require the clear-cutting of 45 acres of forest. The project would be close to 3 times the size of the largest solar array that presently exists in Amherst.
WHERE? This project would be installed on forested wilderness owned by W.D. Cowls, on the south side of Shutesbury Road, close to the Adams Brook, along the Pelham border in North Amherst.
WHEN? Initial contact with Shutesbury Road abutters was made by Cowls/AMP in December 2019, when the Amherst Conservation Commission was in the process of reviewing a required wetlands delineation study. Recently Cowls/AMP submitted a Notice of Intent to the town of Amherst Conservation Committee. This is the first step in a process that could lead to a special permit to develop a large-scale solar installation on this land.
WHY? As residents of Amherst, we are the guardians and beneficiaries of its natural resources. Though we support renewable energy, we have deep concerns about the serious and adverse effects of this project and its potential long-term harm.
We advocate for:
HOW? Organize and advocate for best science-based practices, and safe and environmentally sound use of our natural resources.
WHO? Smart Solar Amherst is a coalition of Amherst residents that support the development of renewable energy sources, while protecting forests, native habitats, water, and biodiversity.
WHO? Smart Solar Amherst is a coalition of Amherst residents that support the development of renewable energy sources, while protecting forests, native habitats, water, and biodiversity.
WHAT? W.D. Cowls has engaged AMP, a Canadian energy firm, to develop a large-scale 45-acre ground-mounted solar installation. This installation would require the clear-cutting of 45 acres of forest. The project would be close to 3 times the size of the largest solar array that presently exists in Amherst.
WHERE? This project would be installed on forested wilderness owned by W.D. Cowls, on the south side of Shutesbury Road, close to the Adams Brook, along the Pelham border in North Amherst.
WHEN? Initial contact with Shutesbury Road abutters was made by Cowls/AMP in December 2019, when the Amherst Conservation Commission was in the process of reviewing a required wetlands delineation study. Recently Cowls/AMP submitted a Notice of Intent to the town of Amherst Conservation Committee. This is the first step in a process that could lead to a special permit to develop a large-scale solar installation on this land.
WHY? As residents of Amherst, we are the guardians and beneficiaries of its natural resources. Though we support renewable energy, we have deep concerns about the serious and adverse effects of this project and its potential long-term harm.
We advocate for:
- Avoiding large-scale deforestation;
- Protecting public/private water supply;
- Protecting wild-life habitat, especially rare species;
- Protecting wetlands;
- Placing solar arrays on disturbed land, not forests;
- Creating by-laws that address the development of future solar installations.
HOW? Organize and advocate for best science-based practices, and safe and environmentally sound use of our natural resources.
WHO? Smart Solar Amherst is a coalition of Amherst residents that support the development of renewable energy sources, while protecting forests, native habitats, water, and biodiversity.
