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Thread: Solar site plan approved

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    Solar site plan approved

    By a 3-2 vote the Lancaster Town Board approved a site plan for AC Power 14, LLC, to install two co-located ballasted community solar facilities on a 197-acre closed landfill on Gunnville Road in the Town of Lancaster. The project will be on 40 acres, and the solar panels will cover 15 acres. The total project is estimated to cost $14 million.

    Resident Kevin Lemaster voiced environmental concerns with the project as well as objections to a project moving along where AC Power 14, LLC is no longer the project sponsor. AC Power 14 was purchased by Catalyze Holdings the day after AC Power 14 was granted a special use permit. Lemaster declared many questions at Town and recent Planning Board public hearings went unanswered and that the resolution should be tabled for further review.

    Councilmember Robert Leary echoed Lemaster’s concerns at the work session and had requested tabling the resolution for further review - especially since much has changed since the project acquisition of AC Power 14 a minority-owned startup company needing a $1 million LIDA PILOT to make the project possible to Catalyze Holdings.

    Catalyze Holdings is a portfolio company of Encap Investments, L.P., a $37 billion private equity founded in 1988. Encap Investments has more than $15 billion under management in upstream and midstream oil and gas ventures, and renewable energy projects. Encap Investments will fully finance the procurement and construction of the project and Catalyze Holdings will be the project’s long-term owner and operator.

    Declaring “It’s completely different now than it was before,” Leary requested the tabling of the resolution. Council member Adam Dickman and Leary voted not to approve the site plan. Council members Dave Mazur and Michael Wozniak, and Ruffino voted to approve the site plan.

    Comment

    Supervisor Ruffino declared: “The intent here was to allow the solar project to go through, so we can make use of land that is useless at this point,” Ruffino said. “We have accomplished that goal.”

    I believe no one is disputing the project’s merit or that the landfill is a perfect location for the project. It is the approval process, project environmental concerns and lack of transparency and honesty that has delayed site plan approval. AC Power 14’ refusal to reveal investors, project ownership, financial accountability, decommissioning plans and resident and DEC environmental concerns and questions that too often went unanswered clouded the process.

    Councilmember Leary is also questioning why the $1 million LIDA PILOT should transfer over to Catalyze Holdings. “We are no longer considering a minor startup energy company with limited funds who sought and received a $1 million PILOT to make the project viable. AC Power 14 was purchased by a multi-billion asset company. The town taxpayers should not be expected to help fund this project under this circumstance,”

    The $1 million LIDA PILOT is no longer essential to make the solar project viable. This is a waste of taxpayer money – Corporate Welfare!

  2. #2
    Member Frank Lee Blunt's Avatar
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    The Supervisor was quite adamant about reminding everyone his"job" is to get tax dollars into the coffers of the TOL. The problem of course is the timeline it takes to recover all the time and tax dollars invested in this scheme. I say scheme because Mr. Ruffino and his 3 votes played the public with a softsoap story about getting involved with a small company led by a female, and propping them so they could compete. When he started being a salesman for this business concern by touting 10% saving for all it was obvious he did not know what he was talking about. If he had no info that there was a pending sale, he was taken for a ride, if he did know of that sale to a multi-billion global company, he should have informed the board and recovered the LIDA money. As always with this guy, there's more to the story. An opaque administration at best.
    Frank Lee Speaking....

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    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec View Post
    The $1 million LIDA PILOT is no longer essential to make the solar project viable. This is a waste of taxpayer money – Corporate Welfare!
    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Lee Blunt View Post
    If he had no info that there was a pending sale, he was taken for a ride, if he did know of that sale to a multi-billion global company, he should have informed the board and recovered the LIDA money. As always with this guy, there's more to the story. An opaque administration at best.
    To both commenters, your observations raise in my mind the simple question, when did the Supervisor first know of the sale, or the strong possibility of such a sale?

    In a cliché, "What did the Supervisor know, and when did he know it?"
    Last edited by mark blazejewski; September 11th, 2021 at 07:47 AM.
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

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    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Lee Blunt View Post
    If he had no info that there was a pending sale, he was taken for a ride...
    Yea, but he was taking a trip which the taxpayers financed, eh?
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

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