While we the undersigned believe renewable energy must be a priority, we stand in strong opposition to the location and scale of France-based EDF Renewable’s  proposed 1700-acre, 240-megawatt solar installation to be sited bordering 7 roads on either side of US Rt. 11 at the gateway to Canton, NY.

EDF Renewable’s planned industrial-scale solar installation will impact our rural community, county and St. Lawrence Valley region in many detrimental, irreversible ways. Details of the project are as follows:

Details of the proposed EDF Rich Rd Solar and Battery Storage Project:

·      Approximately 1,700 acres, or 2.6 square miles (St. Lawrence Plaindealer Feb 3-9, 2023)

·      Bordering 7 roads on either side of US Rt 11 (NCTW Jan 27-Feb 2, 2023)

·      Approximately 500,000 solar panels

·      Approximately $360 million dollars to build

·      Spanning 2.6 square miles - nearly half the size of our entire village. The village of Canton is only 4.27 square miles. (see project map below)

·      The power from this industrial-sized project will go directly into the grid, and will not be offered to local residents.

·      Solar is an intermittent power source totally dependent upon the sun. In Canton we have only 161 days per year of sunshine. Bestplaces.net 

·      The life of the panels is just 25-30 years. Yet the current recycle and disposal plan is not environmentally sound. Energysage.com

·      Industrial-sized solar projects have a deadly impact on migratory and nesting birds. Conbio.onlinelibrary

·      This project borders the Upper and Lower Lakes Wildlife Management Area and the Grasse River. (see project map below)

·      Canton residents will likely not get lower taxes or cheaper electricity.

·      Property values will suffer negative effect. Uri.edu/news

It is incumbent on renewable energy companies and New York State officials to avoid siting large-scale solar and wind projects in highly agricultural, ecological-sensitive, historic areas. In addition, targeting low-income, rural communities with limited resources is a form of colonialism. The origin of ‘colonialism’ can be traced back to the latin word ‘colonia’ meaning a place for agriculture. According to Byjus.com, the standard definition of colonialism is “a policy and practice of a power in extending control over weaker people or areas”.

Instead, low-conflict sites – such as brownfields, closed landfills, current and former industrial sites, parking lots, and commercial structures should be identified and prioritized. It makes sense that energy would be created nearby to the places where the energy is consumed and needed most.

Additionally, renewable energy companies must respect local zoning laws and protect natural resources including wetlands and forests, wildlife and birds, prime farmland, rural viewsheds, property values, and community values.

As renewable energy companies look to Canton, New York and St. Lawrence County as potential sites for utility-scale solar power installations, county and town officials must have a strategic, county-wide approach and metric in place for siting of utility-scaled renewable energy installations. With 4 universities, a large rural health-care system, and a healthy agricultural industry, we have much to preserve. With strategy and metrics in place,  we need to protect our community from becoming a patchwork of industrial-sized solar installations and from the detrimental, decades-long impact they will have on area residents, local economies, natural resources and scenic viewsheds.

Furthermore, renewable energy companies building and operating solar energy systems in New York State must be required to pay the full amount of county, town and school property taxes permissible by law and based on the assessed value of both the land and the renewable energy systems infrastructure – both considered real property in the State of New York.

In closing, we the undersigned strongly urge New York State, St. Lawrence County and local officials to take immediate action to preserve and protect our community’s high-quality agricultural soils and farm operations, natural resources, native birds and wildlife, scenic viewsheds, and tourism- and recreational-centric economy by denying EDF Renewable’s permits to build the proposed 1700 acre solar installation in Canton, NY.

Please join us in protecting the essential history and character of our rural community and its many resources from being degraded for decades by this wrongly-sited, wrongly-sized industrial solar facility.

What you can do:

·      Learn about the project:

https://cantonny.gov/solar-projects-information/

·      Attend local board meetings:

 https://cantonny.gov/government/calendar/

·      Submit a letter to the editor:

St. Lawrence Plaindealer  tgraser@wdt.net

NCTW Letters@NorthCountryNow.com

·      Submit a letter to the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES):

 orespermits.ny.gov

·      Sign this petition