Solar Decommissioning Progress

Thankfully some councilors have demonstrated concern for taxpayers by their actions, while others appear to be more concerned with the profit margin of the developer.

Excerpt from the Valley Breeze article entitled: "Council to Vote on Solar Ordinance Changes"

“On Monday, councilors continued to debate the merits of a cash versus bond decommissioning agreement, with Councilors Douglas Osier Jr. and Paul Zwolenski insisting the agreed-upon amount of $1.2 million, or approximately $30,000 per megawatt, was far too low for the massive project. Osier, with Zwolenski’s support, urged councilors to consider requiring a larger amount of cash as part of the decommissioning agreement, instead of a 50/50 split of cash and bond as previously discussed.

Osier ultimately succeeded in convincing councilors to require a 70/30 split of cash and bond, with Councilor Teresa Bartomioli casting the deciding vote in favor of more cash and Councilors Paul Vadenais and Claire O'Hara voting against. Under the new arrangement, the company is required to submit $840,000 cash and a $360,000 bond as surety against possible abandonment of the project. The final arrangement passed by a 4-1 vote, with Osier voting against the overall development agreement.”

Overall the agreement is still a poor one but this action does help.

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