In the near future, Virginia citizens will ask how could our elected leaders stand back and allow thousands upon thousands of acres of farmland, forests and wildlife be destroyed by  solar developers looking to cash out on renewable tax credits. 

This current push for renewable energy is NOT about fighting climate change. This is about developers (often subsidaries of out of state Hedge funds, LLCs) selling energy credits to multi billion dollar companies like Facebook and Microsoft so they can all profit from government tax credits and get richer at the expense of the rural Virginia communities. 

If the developers truly cared about fighting climate change,  solar facility sites would be located on industrial zoned lands, on brown fields, on rooftops or next to highways. Developers would not be destroying agricultural land, forests and wildlife habitat that are located adjacent to our rivers and streams.  For example in Buckingham County, a 2000-acre utility solar facility is sited to be 1/4 mile from our beloved James River.  Two thousand acres of timber and wildlife habitat will be replaced by an industrial expanse of steel, glass, and solar panels adjacent to the scenic designated Jewel of the James! Within this small stretch of the James River there are multiple other Utility scale solar facilities also being proposed.  

Why should rural Virginians take the burden and brunt of former Governor Northam’s Virgina Clean Economy Act? 

What happens to the displaced wildlife and carbon capturing trees? Who will be responsible for  the run off and sediment that will contaminate our streams, rivers and ground water?How can our elected leaders continue to allow this be happen to rural Virginia?  

Please be responsible and help protect our rural land and communities in Virginia. The road to renewable energy should not involve destroying farmland, forests and wildlife and the rural way of life.