State backs solar project
Siting Council clarifies ruling amid lawsuit appealing approval
NEW MILFORD — The Connecticut Siting Council has upheld its approval of a controversial solar project on Candlewood Mountain.
The council clarified its ruling from December 2017, stating the project would have little visual impact on the neighboring properties and town recreational facilities. It had already determined the project would not have a negative impact on the environment.
This clarification was requested by the state Superior Court as part of a lawsuit filed by several groups and people in New Milford appealing the project’s approval.
The siting council also recently approved the development and management plan for the project — one of the key things needed for work to progress. The other is approval from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on the stormwater management plan, which was rejected in March.
The siting council’s approval of the development and management plan is conditioned on DEEP’s approval of the stormwater permit, according to a news release.
The town filed a petition in state Superior Court on June 7 against the siting council for approving the development and manage
ment plan.
“My concern is for the health and safety of our citizenry,” Mayor Pete Bass said.
Under the project, Ameresco will install and operate 60,000 solar panels on the mountain to generate 20 megawatts of power that will feed into the New England ISO through the nearby Rocky River substation.
Residents and some town officials have spoken out against the project because it would clearcut about 70 acres of trees on the mountain that could cause erosion and disrupt animal habitats. Proponents of the project say it provides a needed alternative energy source and will provide revenue for the town.
“We are pleased that the Siting Council, following additional hearings and testimony, thoroughly and forcefully reiterated its approval of the Candlewood Solar project, noting that the solar array will be out of sight for neighboring homeowners and New Milford’s recreational facilities,” Jim Walker, Candlewood Solar’s project manager, said in a statement.
He also applauded the approval of the development and management plan.
“We are one step closer to generating clean, emissions-free energy for use in Connecticut with this approval,” Walker said. “The Candlewood Solar Project will be both economically and environmentally beneficial for New Milford. It will not only produce clean, silent energy for Connecticut, but it will generate millions of dollars in revenue to the Town and provide good-paying local jobs.”
Walker said Candlewood Solar plans to refile its stormwater permit application with DEEP this summer and has been working with environmental consultants to ensure it is environmentally responsible and takes DEEP’s and the town’s concerns into account.
Bass said he wasn’t surprised by the siting council’s decision because it had already ruled that way when it approved the petition. He said the town is most interested in seeing the new stormwater management plan and hearing what DEEP has to say about it.
“We want to be sure that plan meets the specifications,” Bass said.
Residents and some town officials have spoken out against the project because it would clearcut about 70 acres of trees on the mountain that could cause erosion and disrupt animal habitats.