The National Grid queue now has 189 solar projects listed for Chautauqua County.

When will our county officials take action to stop solar projects that are doubling the cost of energy and destroying our communities?

Under Biden’s “Inflation Reduction” Act, “90% of projected profit for solar development will come from subsidies” — our tax dollars and utility charges, according to a Wall Street Journal article headlined “America’s Political-Subsidy Economy” from Aug. 17 noted: “Most of these green-energy investments wouldn’t be happening if not for subsidies.”

The electric generation, transmission, and billing policy of New York state has recently been criticized by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli in a report: “Every effort should be made to clearly identify how the transitions to the state’s electric generation fleet and transmission grid will affect consumer electric bills in the future and to hold down costs to the state’s electric customers.”

The Post-Journal:”The state will have to spend significant amounts of money on transmission equipment to get renewable energy to the areas of the state that need it, particularly in New York City.” (Up to 25% of power generated is currently lost on the faculty, outdated transmission lines).

“Ratepayers have already been paying their share through renewable energy credits and zero energy credits, which have long shown up on utility bills as a fuel adjustment charge because the state Public Service Commission won’t allow utility companies to break those charges out on a customer’s bills.” (They hide the cost of renewables).”

According to the Chautauqua County Farm Bureau, 84% of land targeted for utility scale solar is agricultural. They call for a prohibition on solar subsidies.

State Sen. George Borrello has long defended our best interests regarding the state’s push to cover our beautiful countryside and lake with wind and solar.

In a bill by Borrello: “Currently, the products cited as the solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions are manufactured, distributed and installed using fossil fuels.

Coal is burned to forge steel for the foundations, towers and blades of wind turbines.

Diesel-powered heavy equipment transports components, clears sites, digs foundations and assembles the structures,” he said. “Solar panels require the extraction of rare earth minerals and depend on coal as the primary energy source for the manufacturing process.”

This is an “inherent environmental and ethical conflict.”

Borrello is much appreciated for all his efforts.

It is time the Chautauqua County officials did their part. Moratorium, Recycling Requirement, projects in brown zones, no PILOT agreements and no toxic chemicals in solar components are laws used by other counties to protect their communities.

David “Skip” Axelson is a Frewsburg resident.