"Actually, it's more complicated than that." The County's GIS mapper Chris McGovern summed up the tenor of this second Transportation and Environment hearing on ZTA 20-01 which would allow industrial scale solar in the Ag Reserve without protections for soils/forests/water quality/habitat and no stipulations that the energy stay in the state much less the county. View the whole hearing on you tube here.
This hearing was marked by a more deliberate pace for discussing these very complicated issues. Before today, the proposal seemed to speeding toward discussion by the whole council despite robust concern expressed by residents both rural and urban and the unanimous opposition to the plan from the farming community.
Some observations from the two hour hearing:
Haven't taken action, take two minutes to do so now:
This hearing was marked by a more deliberate pace for discussing these very complicated issues. Before today, the proposal seemed to speeding toward discussion by the whole council despite robust concern expressed by residents both rural and urban and the unanimous opposition to the plan from the farming community.
Some observations from the two hour hearing:
Haven't taken action, take two minutes to do so now:
"It's not how much solar we want, it is where we want it. There are consequences." - Councilmember Friedson
The committee started by taking up issues on which there was much agreement. Unfortunately on the first item, that agreement is flawed. "Agrivoltaics" is the fancy word given to crops that can be grown under solar arrays. Councilmembers spent some time on this topic saying that pollinator species, table crops and even grazing can happen under these arrays. This despite the fact that a number of local farmers have written in to the contrary. While some plants may be able to be grown in the low light and reduced water under arrays, calling it agriculture is a real stretch. The Climate Change Working group has called for a pilot program to see what crops grow in our zone under arrays - a far more prudent approach.
After going over a number of small details including screening and fencing, the maps of the Reserve were pulled up. The question was how many acres were removed from possible solar projects by the scant ZTA protections as written and the more protective amendments proposed by Councilmembers Friedson and Jawando. First County GIS staff Chris McGovern took out slopes, stream buffers and parkland from consideration. Then Councilmembers had to learn more about the difference between prime soils and the different classifications of soils 1-3. Here at MCA we are working on an infographic to explain the difference in fertility between these soils. Jeremy Criss of Ag Services said that for the Ag Preservation program they do not use the "prime" designation but instead focus on classes 1-3 as "productive".
As the coming infographic will show, most of the beloved Reserve farms are growing bountiful local table crops on soils 2 and 3. Examples include Land Linked farmer Jared of Wildflower Farm who moved here from Massachusetts and grows table crops on a few acres of leased exclusively class 3 soils.
Also on the Reserve's class 3 soils:
After going over a number of small details including screening and fencing, the maps of the Reserve were pulled up. The question was how many acres were removed from possible solar projects by the scant ZTA protections as written and the more protective amendments proposed by Councilmembers Friedson and Jawando. First County GIS staff Chris McGovern took out slopes, stream buffers and parkland from consideration. Then Councilmembers had to learn more about the difference between prime soils and the different classifications of soils 1-3. Here at MCA we are working on an infographic to explain the difference in fertility between these soils. Jeremy Criss of Ag Services said that for the Ag Preservation program they do not use the "prime" designation but instead focus on classes 1-3 as "productive".
As the coming infographic will show, most of the beloved Reserve farms are growing bountiful local table crops on soils 2 and 3. Examples include Land Linked farmer Jared of Wildflower Farm who moved here from Massachusetts and grows table crops on a few acres of leased exclusively class 3 soils.
Also on the Reserve's class 3 soils:
- The county's first cidery (also an apple pick-your-own), Waters Orchard
- The nation's first voluntary robotic milking operation at Rock Hill Orchard/Woodbourne Creamery
- Long standing produce and orchard standby Lewis Orchards
- On class 2,3 and worse is multi generational Oak Ridge Farm of the Scott Family (Royce Hanson Award winners for their decades of farmland preservation efforts).
As more and more protections were put on the map for slopes, forests, stream buffers and productive soils, more and more land was taken out of the running to host large industrial solar arrays. Taking out soil classes 1-3 left just under 3000 acres of the Reserve where these arrays could be sited. This frustrated ZTA architect Councilmember Hans Riemer - "well it just isn't worth doing if you take all this land out of consideration - solar providers will have to find a needle in a haystack". Riemer wants to just cap the number of acres that can be put under arrays as a way to protect farming.
This was when Councilmember Friedson got to the crux of this issue:
"It's not how much solar we want, it is where we want it. There are consequences."
This was when Councilmember Friedson got to the crux of this issue:
"It's not how much solar we want, it is where we want it. There are consequences."
Friedson and Councilmember Rice both being the designated councilmembers for the Reserve then spoke to how protecting soils protects the purpose of the Reserve. "Planting food is protecting our environment, we need to see more farming in the Reserve," said Craig Rice. We heartily agree. Which brings us to-
The upshot:
As Councilmember Glass rightfully noted toward the final minutes of the hearing, a vote on this ZTA at next week's hearing is premature as he and the other non-sponsors of the ZTA are in as he says "education mode". There is a lot to learn, but the big take away must be that to protect farming in the area set aside for the purpose 40 years ago, you need to protect the soils. The 500+ acres of leased land matched through our Land Link program are on class 2,3 and higher soils. Allowing a non-Ag use to compete for this acreage will mean fewer of our next generation farmers will be able to get started close to massive (and in covid times massively increasing) demand for local food on the land set aside for farming.
If you have not let the Council know your concerns, please take 2 minutes to do so here:
As Councilmember Glass rightfully noted toward the final minutes of the hearing, a vote on this ZTA at next week's hearing is premature as he and the other non-sponsors of the ZTA are in as he says "education mode". There is a lot to learn, but the big take away must be that to protect farming in the area set aside for the purpose 40 years ago, you need to protect the soils. The 500+ acres of leased land matched through our Land Link program are on class 2,3 and higher soils. Allowing a non-Ag use to compete for this acreage will mean fewer of our next generation farmers will be able to get started close to massive (and in covid times massively increasing) demand for local food on the land set aside for farming.
If you have not let the Council know your concerns, please take 2 minutes to do so here:
