” NextEra Energy Resources has proposed a 90-megawatt solar energy project at a price exceeding $100 million using the state’s power plant siting law — Article 10 — and there’s little the town of Florida or its residents can do about it.
Article 10, was passed in 2011, allows for the siting of electricity generating facilities of greater than 25 megawatts to bypass local planning and zoning boards, although the process does allow for local officials to appoint members to a sitting committee that oversees the process.
Montgomery County Executive Matt Ossenfort will appoint two members to the sitting committee for NextEra Energy Resources project, called the High River Energy Center.
Town Supervisor Eric Mead said his town is now considering a 180-day temporary moratorium on large-scale solar facilities. He said the moratorium won’t affect the NextEra Energy project, but could help his town better prepare for future large-scale solar projects. A public hearing on the moratorium is set for Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. Florida was one of the first municipalities to place a six-month moratorium on new solar energy projects in 2016, in an effort to establish zoning rules to curb the proliferation of such facilities in the town.”
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Subik, Jason. Schenectady Gazette 28 September 2018.