Click here for the January, 7 2020 Newsletter
Happy New Year from all of us at Alder Creek Solar! We hope you had some time to relax and be with loved ones during this holiday season. If you are not familiar with the project… Hi! It’s nice to meet you! We would like to take some time to update you on the status of the project and look ahead to the first few months of 2020.
What is Alder Creek Solar?
Alder Creek Solar is a proposed utility-scale solar farm in the towns of Boonville and Forestport in Oneida County, NY. It will be about 150-200 MW, which is expected to generate enough energy to power up to 21,000 homes. For more general information about the project, please click here.
What’s happening now?
Alder Creek Solar is subject to the rigorous NY State Article 10 Permitting Process. For detailed information on Article 10, click here. We just began this process in September 2019 when we submitted our Preliminary Public Involvement Program (PIP). This plan outlines how we will engage with the community throughout the Article 10 Process. After responding to comments from the NY State Department of Public Service (DPS), we submitted our Revised Public Involvement Program (PIP). Hard copies are available at the Boonville Town Hall, Forestport Town Hall, Erwin Library and Institute, and the Woodgate Free Library.
What’s Next?
In the Spring we plan to submit our Preliminary Scoping Statement (PSS). The PSS is a written document informing the Siting Board, other public agencies, and the community about the details of the project, including a description of the proposed facility, potential environmental and health impacts, proposed studies to evaluate those impacts, proposed mitigation measures and reasonable alternatives to the project. The public will have the opportunity to provide comment on this.
After the PSS is submitted, Intervenor Funding will become available. Article 10 applicants are required to provide funds to be used to defray certain expenses incurred by municipal and local parties as they participate in the Article 10 process. For detailed information on intervenor funding, please see the DPS Guide to Intervenor Funding. Alder Creek Solar staff will give detailed presentations about the Article 10 Process, including how to apply for intervenor funding, at the January Boonville and Forestport Town Board Meetings (see below).
Upcoming Dates:
- Boonville Town Board Meeting: Monday, January 13 at 7:00 p.m. – Alder Creek staff will give a detailed presentation on the Article 10 process and intervenor funding.
- Forestport Town Board Meeting: Wednesday, January 15 at 6:30 p.m. – Alder Creek staff will give a detailed presentation on the Article 10 process and intervenor funding.
- Boonville Snow Festival: Friday January 31 - Sunday, February 2 – The Alder Creek Solar team will have a presence at this year’s Boonville Snow Festival. We hope to see you there!
- Open Houses: TBD- Alder Creek Solar plans to host open houses in both Boonville and Forestport in the month of February. Once those dates are set, a follow-up email will be sent with more information.
Where can I get more information?
- Our website: https://www.aldercreeksolar.com/
- Follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/AlderCreekSolar/
- Call our office line at (315) 284-5299. Our team is happy to answer any questions you may have or set up an in-person meeting.
- Department of Public Service: Official Article 10 documents for Alder Creek Solar are posted to the public docket here. You can also leave a public comment on the website with any of your concerns or feedback.
We look forward to spending a lot of time in Boonville and Forestport this year and getting involved in the local community. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns regarding the project or would like to recommend events or meetings for our team to attend.
Warm Regards,
The Alder Creek Solar Team
Carmen O’Keefe, Paul Williamson, Brian O’Shea, Jessica Walsh, and Robert Gee