Gravel Pit Solar is what good municipal and state partnerships should look like.
I want to address a social media post that questioned the Gravel Pit Solar (GPS) contract and the fairness of the agreement with the Town of East Windsor.
First, I'm grateful to the many town advocates, constituents, and experts who helped shape the bill we passed out of the House. This wouldn't have been possible without support from Earthlight Technologies and East Windsor First Selectman Jason Bowsza.
From where I stand, solar is a critical renewable energy source that needs to be responsibly regulated so that we can meet our green energy goals and be fair to towns and taxpayers. As a representative for East Windsor, I have first-hand expertise in projects that go well and those that don't, and all those navigations and negotiations have been successfully managed by the first selectman, who is a true partner to me and my work.
My goal with HB 6764 (AN ACT CONCERNING A SOLAR UNIFORM CAPACITY TAX AND MODIFICATIONS TO THE STATE'S RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRAMS) was to the benefit of the towns I represent, guaranteeing a steady and reliable municipal revenue to towns hosting solar and giving local control to towns oversaturated with such projects. I worked tirelessly with local environmental and solar advocates to make improvements to existing solar policy to continue to work towards our green energy goals. Unfortunately, it did not pass the Senate this year and only made it through the House. I worked in collaboration with the first selectman throughout the legislative session to develop the terms of the bill, as well as to address growing concerns and issues in our community.
Both First Selectman Bowsza and I have been recognized statewide as policy leaders pertaining to the impacts of solar projects in rural communities, like East Windsor. The solar industry tries almost yearly to get grid-scale projects tax-exempt, meaning the price per acre would be $0 without the legislation or the stabilization agreement. The value of GPS to East Windsor, all-inclusive, is $11 million over 20 years. And the GPS property is mostly in PA 490 (which lowers tax for "ag properties" which makes it taxed far, far less than its appraised value). This project is actually one of the most lucrative municipal deals I'm aware of, especially considering its size. Unfortunately, the legislative process is slow and by design requires both chambers to allow a law to come forward for the governor to sign. Despite a sputtering start, I remain optimistic for the next session.
For the 57th House District, this is what good municipal and state partnerships should look like. I don't want folks to underestimate the tremendous benefit to East Windsor to have their bipartisan legislative team working collaboratively and effectively with town leaders. There are huge victories possible because of this, like the $1 million per year increased allocation for the Mashantucket - Pequot fund included for East Windsor in this year’s bipartisan, biennial budget.
|