TOWN OF CAMBRIA, N.Y. (WKBW) — A large portion of land in a small Niagara County town is on track to become a massive solar power array, but residents are opposing it.
On Tuesday, dozens of Town of Cambria residents crowded the Niagara County Legislature meeting to oppose the green energy proposal, called the Bear Ridge Solar project.
“We understand responsible green energy, responsible solar projects, there are so many other areas that this type of large megawatt project could go that are being under-utilized,” said one resident.
The Niagara County Legislature agreed with the residents. They approved a proposition denouncing the plans for the Bear Ridge Solar project.
The town and county may not have a say when it comes to the approval process for the large-scale power project.
‘Article 10’ in New York gives developers of a large-scale energy project only one board to go through instead of "requiring a developer or owner of such a facility to apply for numerous state and local permits."
The Bear Ridge Solar website reads that this project will help New York State reach its goal of running on 50 percent renewable energy by the year 2030.
“We’re not against renewable energy in any way. Our main opposition about this project is the location,” said a resident.
The residents of Cambria say their next step is petitioning the state to change the plans and will meet with Senator Rob Ortt in the coming weeks.
