Even as the state appeals the Appellate Court decision overturning steeply-discounted tax assessments on large-scale solar and wind, the Office of Renewable Energy Siting has approved the 20-MW Rock District solar project in the Towns of Carlisle and Seward.
The anticipated OK came late Tuesday, one of three clearing the final ORES hurdle on Earth Day.
Others were Foothills Solar, a 40-MW solar facility in the Town of Mayfield in Fulton County, and York Run Solar, a 90-MW solar project in the Towns of Kiantone and Busti in Chautauqua County.
By way of comparison, the NextEra solar facility in the Town of Sharon is 50-MW.
“Together, the Foothills, Rock District and York Run solar facilities will contribute a combined 150-MW of clean, renewable energy to New York’s electric grid,” said Governor Kathy Hochul.
“The projects will create good-paying jobs, crucial infrastructure, and increase tax revenues for local schools and other community priorities.”
But not really.
Under the state’s Real Property Tax Law 575-b—ruled unconstitutional by the Albany County Supreme Court and now being appealed by the state—the Town of Sharon, Schoharie County, and Sharon Springs Central School would lose millions in projected tax revenues from the NextEra project.
Construction crews were brought in from elsewhere—there are only one or two local long-term jobs—and the work and blasting left one dairy farm without water and heavily damaged a handful of roads, in the end, mostly repaired by NextEra.
ORES’ approval appeared online Tuesday afternoon; Carlisle Supervisor John Leavitt, who checks it daily, said he got the news from attorney Dylan Harris of Whiteman Osterman & Hanna.
Mr. Leavitt wasn’t surprised; ORES had indicated back in December that approval would be forthcoming.
“It’s really just a rubber stamp,” he said late Tuesday.
“Even the karst and over 100 pages of testimony. They just said ‘Oh, well.’”
Given the lawsuit—under Judge James Farrell’s decision, solar projects are assessed and taxed at 100 percent--and new tariffs on the panels themselves, Mr. Leavitt said they have on guess when construction might begin.
Mr. Harris will be reaching out to the Rock District developers about negotiating a PILOT and host community benefits, “but if I was Rock District, I think I’d just wait things out,” he said.
“I’d be very surprised if they’re going to talk.”