Join the Working Group for an Important Zoom Update and Discussion on Thursday, February 17th at 6:00 PM

Over the past three months, a coalition of community voices – including local environmental organizations, rural planners and landscape designers – have joined together to identify ways Hecate Energy's proposed Shepherd's Run solar facility in Copake and Craryville, NY can be the best renewable energy project for our community by protecting and enhancing Copake's natural resources, active farmland, wildlife population and habitat, rural viewsheds, property values and economy.

The working group's recommendations will advance New York State's renewable energy goals while creating a national model for siting solar in rural America – one that protects and enhances rural natural resources, farmland and economies while addressing the urgent issue of climate change. 
 
On Thursday, February 17th at 6:00 pm, join members of the working group – including representatives of Friends of Columbia Solar, Columbia Land Conservancy, Scenic Hudson and Sensible Solar for Rural New York – for an informational Zoom meeting (Zoom link and dial-in below) to learn how the proposed solar facility can become a win-win for Copake and climate change.

Highlights of the working group’s recommendations include:

• Significant improvements to the project’s siting, ecology and landscaping, including the elimination of proposed clear-cutting of forest
• Integration of agriculture underneath and in-between solar panels, including crops and grazing
• New community-accessible green spaces with enhanced ecological restoration and stewardship
• Extension of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail and new trail access to the Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Sanctuary and Center
• Educational programs for Taconic Hills Central School students and regional youth organizations
• Access to low-cost renewable energy purchasing for the community
• Local hiring and purchasing, as well as responsible sourcing of solar panels
• Full tax payments for the county, town and school district, and fair compensation to impacted homeowners

The working group recently presented a preview of its vision to Hecate Energy and asked the solar developer to pause submission of its 94-c application to the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) so that the Working Group's consensus-building recommendations can be integrated into Hecate's application.

Adoption of the working group's recommendations will provide Hecate with an opportunity to go beyond mere compliance with the State's newly enacted 94-c regulations, and instead advance an application that more fully takes into consideration the impacts of the proposed solar project on Copake's natural resources, prime farmland and economy, as well as adequately addresses the concerns of the Town of Copake and its elected officials and residents.

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WORKING GROUP ZOOM TOWNHALL MEETING
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2022 AT 6:00 PM

Zoom Link:  shorturl.at/uGX49
Zoom Meeting ID:  820 3877 1160
Password:  859914

To join Zoom via phone:  1-929-436-2866