It is worrisome and disheartening – deja vu, to be targeted yet again by an opportunistic, foreign energy developer. We fought long and hard not to be victimized by eight – almost 500 foot – wind turbines surrounding our home. We ended up with three across the street.

A neighbor whose active farmland surrounds our property signed a lease with the solar developer to build a 100 MW solar project with battery storage. That size typically covers about 1,000 acres. The neighbor signed a nondisclosure agreement that prevents him from sharing anything- location, proximity etc. about the project with us. PS, it is stressful since we like our neighbor and want to remain on friendly terms.

It is unfair that unwitting abutters, those likely to be most impacted, or the community in general are not notified by the developer about these invasive projects until very late in development. The developers hope to sneak in without opposition, gaining an early advantage. We were never contacted. We only found out after we asked the surveyors why they were scoping out our property lines and the adjacent farmland for over a year. We contacted the developer.

We asked the developer for a general preliminary layout like the land leasers receive but they refuse, continue to make excuses and keep us in the dark while they readily update project participants. They are not abiding by their claim of transparency since you get no meaningful answers if you do not gladly welcome a fenced sea of black, glaring solar panels with transformers/inverters buzzing in your backyard.

Quote: “We absolutely value open, honest communication with our project communities and if you have any questions, you can reach out.” “We are committed to transparency, and we make it a priority to educate landowners and host communities about the renewable energy development process.”

The developer’s hires were seen doing winter raptor studies at dusk, in the dark. Now, lo and behold, this summer we see eagles, red-tailed hawks and other raptors almost daily in these same fields and study areas. Of course, we note, no studies are currently being done. We see bountiful wildlife: turkeys, foxes, deer and bears and fear for their future if this project goes forward. Habitat fragmentation/loss is the greatest threat to biodiversity and endangered/threatened species- not climate change.

We built our country home for love of rural amenities, never expecting to experience the soul-sucking industrialization of our beloved natural surroundings. Industrial-scale solar and wind projects depreciate nearby home values. A new nationwide study led by Virginia Tech finds that homes within a 3-mile radius of utility-scale solar installations experience an average 5% drop in value.

NYS contributes a mere 0.45% to global emissions. Building more unreliable, low output wind, solar, and BESS projects in NYS will not change the climate but will continue to ravage our dwindling farmland, woodlands and natural environment, leave a horrendous waste stream for future generations, increase electricity cost and cause dangerous grid instability.

USDA wisely banned support for solar and wind projects on productive and prime farmland. NYS Ag and Markets need to follow suit ASAP, before it is too late.

I can only hope and pray wind, solar, and BESS projects get dealt a final death blow, even faster than their subsidies dry up.

Joni Riggle is a Sinclairville resident.