I believe it is important that our citizens engage and make thoughtful and well-informed choices for our future. It’s true that we weren’t paying attention when all of this began. But now we are.
I started speaking out about my concerns over industrial-scale solar in Canton, and working with a small group of concerned folks who feel similarly, because things were happening quietly without much (any as far as we could tell) community discussion. Were we going to let industrial energy corporations (green or not) decide how to move forward without our town’s input?
Our group is not affiliated with the Virginia-based Citizens for Responsible Solar that was featured in a recent NPR article. I repeat, we are in NO WAY affiliated with that group.
Our group cannot emphasize enough how pro-renewables we are, done with thorough, careful planning. And that tax and assessment negotiations regarding the Rich Rd Project be as beneficial as possible to Canton.
I do believe that alternative energy is necessary. But I have some concerns about the way that our state is going about this transition. Even the language that is being used…that we are “fighting” climate change, is disconcerting. Human beings got greedy, mucked things up, and created this problem, and we need to change our ways in the hopes of cleaning up our environment and reversing climate change. It’s time to rebalance, not to fight. Covering farmland, grasslands, and clearing even some wooded areas to set up solar panels simply doesn’t make sense to me. It feels like yet another assault on Mother Earth. Perhaps it’s the road we will take, but it should be done with a well-thought-out plan that includes community planning, placement, decommissioning, and co-existence with other renewable forms of energy.
I appreciate that people are talking and thinking and researching. The information in our group’s petition was the best we could compile at the time. We tried to back up the data that we found, and use words like “approximate” when we didn’t have certainty. As citizens, I hope that we can compile the information we gather and work toward a common vision for positive effect on the climate, the earth, and our community. As an individual I am always open to learning and reconsidering how to best move forward.
With gratitude for this community and the willingness to have the tough conversations,
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