Action comes after National Grid announces plan to clear cut more than 300 acres of coastal forest to construct solar farm in Shoreham
Farmingville, NY – Supervisor Ed Romaine and the Brookhaven Town Council sent a letter to local New York State officials asking them to stand with the Town “in attempting to eliminate significant adverse local impacts” when considering sites of major electric generating plants. The action by the Town Board comes after National Grid announced their plan to clear cut more than 300 acres of coastal forest to construct a solar farm in Shoreham. The proposed site is adjacent to the old Shoreham nuclear power plant and has been zoned A10 (10 acre residential) for more than 25 years.
Current provisions set forth in Article X of the Public Service Law permit overriding of local zoning and environmental laws if the Siting Board finds them to be burdensome in terms of technology and costs. The letter explains that the Town’s Land Use Laws were developed to minimize the “impact and harmful effects of misguided development” and called the current State Law “wrong.” The Town Board requested that Section 166 of the New York State Public Service Law be amended to require that the local municipalities be named as mandatory parties to the application proceeding. The Town Board also seeks to amend Section 168 to “place the burden on the applicant by a high standard of proof that the adverse effects listed in that section will be minimal.” Supervisor Romaine and the Town Board also emphasized their support of renewable energy, and that the Town’s solar code is designed to encourage the use of vacant land, roof tops and parking lots for solar arrays.
Recently, Supervisor Romaine and Councilmember Jane Bonner participated in a press conference near the proposed site led by Richard Amper, Long Island Pine Barrens Society Executive Director. They both voiced their strong opposition to National Grid’s plan and said that the location is unacceptable for the solar farm.
Division of Public Information - Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill
Farmingville, NY 11738
Phone: 631-451-6595