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Date: 12/2/2021
AMHERST – The Amherst Town Council met on Nov. 22 and discussed more on the proposed moratorium on large scale solar projects.
On Nov. 8, Town Councilor’s Lynn Griesemer and Pat De Angelis proposed to have a moratorium on the project to give the town time in researching and developing a solar bylaw that keeps the town conscious of possible environmental implications from projects such as this. The moratorium would prevent town boards and committees from accepting or approving “any application for a large-scale ground-mounted solar energy system” over an 18-month period that was recommended by the town planning staff, according to Griesemer.
The proposed installation of an 11-megawatt project south on about 100 acres of land off Shutesbury Road has been cause from concern from both council members and the public who feel the deforestation of this land for solar is redundant in being energy efficient and environmentally conscious.
AMP Energy, who was initially working with the town and the conservation commission on this project, has withdrawn from the project, an update given at the meeting from Town Manager Paul Bockelman. This will play a factor in how often conversations continue around this issue and the next steps in finding a new partner for the town in the project.
The Town Council still had a vote to reconsider the previous decision made on the moratorium, as At-Large Councilor’s Mandi Jo Hanneke and Andy Steinberg.
Griesemer and De Angelis both were in favor of the moratorium as they thought developing a town solar bylaw would be beneficial before this project were to move much further as the town did not have one. The overwhelming concerns of the public as stated in previous meetings around the deforestation of this project also created pressure on being as environmentally safe and cautious as they could.
“A zoning bylaw permits council to make sub standards for use of land. This allows us time to look at and develop a bylaw with parameters that fit Amherst. A temporary moratorium allows us this time,” said De Angelis.
Even with AMP Energy withdrawing from the project, the project is still on the plate of the Conservation Commission, something Conservation Director Dave Ziomek made clear on the Nov. 8 meeting.
Hanneke, an opponent to a moratorium, believes the bylaw could be developed with the pause in the project. Councilor Steve Schreiber felt similar, calling the moratorium a “nuclear option” in handling this issue.
Ultimately, the Town Council voted 9-4 in favor of referring the bylaw to the Community Resources Committee and the Planning Board for additional hearings. Joining Hanneke and Schreiber in a no vote was councilor’s George Ryan and Alisa Brewer.
“Eighteen months is bad policy,” Brewer added before the vote. “I don’t disagree we need a solar citing bylaw, but I am disappointed we have to go through the motions on a moratorium instead of doing real work on a bylaw.”