We just came out of an election and we want to bring to the attention of Croton Residents the "Letter to the Editor" published in this week's Gazette which takes a close look at how the two Board Members who ran for re-election to the Board of Trustees handled the HNGC Solar Farm Project in their campaigns. They didn't!

The HNGC/Matrix Solar Saga which monopolized the Board's agenda for over 18 months was not even mentioned in their election flyers and interviews.  The Croton Village Board's history of handling (and mishandling) the HNGC/Matrix Special Permit Application over these last 2 years, as well as the "importance" of the protection of our environment to them, seems to have been re-written and presented in quite a different light from reality in their campaigns. (The Gazette is not online and is available in hard copy all around Croton-on-Hudson.)

We have been grappling with the obvious disconnect between what our elected officials boasted about in their election materials and in media interviews throughout this election season and what they really said or did ... or didn't do to "protect our environment" during these past years. We heard about attacking leaf blower problems and being champions of the environment, sustainability and ambiguous climate change efforts.  But there was not a mention made of the HNGC Solar Farm project and the planned disturbance of the very fragile extremely steep slopes, the slated decimation of "No Disturbance" wooded lands, wildlife and their habitat that this Board tried so hard to approve for destruction during this time without any thought for all the environmental laws being violated in the process, the big part these ecologically important elements play in the fight against global warming and all the damage that would be done to the environment and to residents' properties due to potential flooding, erosion, possible mudslides and slope failure.   

We heard of the pursuit of "climate positive projects" because it is quite the "thing" to be talking about these days, but not a word of the 600 trees slated for clearcutting on those fragile slopes, despite the fact that doing so would be not only not environmentally sound, but far from being "climate positive" both because it would release huge amounts of already sequestered CO2 back into the air, as would the tree stumps and cut logs HNGC/Matrix plan to leave on site to rot.  The Letter to the Editor examines how election time assertions of bringing "experience, expertise and intelligence" just weren't apparent, nor were the alleged years of knowledge regarding our environmental laws and Comprehensive plan.  It helps to focus on the hypocrisy that surrounds many of the Mayor's and the Board's actions relating to this particular HNGC/Matrix Solar project and how differently our existing laws and other municipalities, such as the Town of Cortlandt, illustrate how this should be handled.  The question also is, "Why is the Hudson National project being handled differently?"

With all of those considerations, as well as the conflicts and ethical aberrations present in the facts as they unfolded these past 2 years, this project should definitely have been denied long ago and should not be waiting in the wings to re-emerge!  The Board's move to do that was unprecedented!  Again, "Why the detour from typical process for this Hudson National project?"

You have all read the Petition and know how much has been wrong with this project and process all along.  There has also definitely been an issue with arrogance and dismissiveness.  All our voices need to be heard. They need to understand that we are not going to back down because there is too much at stake here.  Solar Farms should only be implemented if they are done responsibly... diligent care must be taken, particularly if sited where they should not be... i.e. on very steep and extremely steep slopes!!  There is little that is green or responsible about this project... and precious little care has been taken to ensure this project has addressed all the many safety issues involved!  There had been so many misrepresentations and "Greenwashing" that we can't even determine what so-called "facts" are true... and even who is telling us the truth! When safety is an issue, it is critical that all of the facts are true and that the project does not go forward if it is not responsible.

Please help and share with your family, friends, spouses, partners, and social media so that they, too, can sign this Petition ... and that our numbers grow and cannot be ignored!  Together change is possible!

Thank you for your support!