Another major threat in Culpeper County...

Eric Wittenberg

1st Lieutenant
Keeper of the Scales
Joined
Jun 2, 2013
Location
Columbus, OH
Greetings!

I just wanted to update everyone on recent events around historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church at Raccoon Ford.

We have apparently won the first battle against the Industrial Scale Solar threat to our historic area (see news article below) However, no one here believes for a second that "big solar" won't be back to try again.

Our local community is closely watching the activities of the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission like a hawk.

"Reverend" Ron


Cricket Solar pulls permit application for Culpeper Project - Culpeper Star-Exponent (Aug 26, 2019)

Less than three weeks after submitting revised plans for a solar power plant on some 1,600 acres in southern Culpeper County, Cricket Solar LLC has withdrawn the application altogether.

Word came late Monday from McGuire Wood's attorney Ann Neil Cosby of the California company's intent to pull the conditional use permit application it filed Dec. 21, 2018.

"On behalf of Cricket Solar LLC, I am writing to formally withdraw Cricket's Conditional Use Permit application," she wrote in a letter to Culpeper County Planning Commission Director Sam McLearen.

"Cricket has been working diligently over the last few months redesigning the project boundaries to protect wetlands, improve efficiencies, and respond to community concerns related to the project."

The local group, Citizens for Responsible Solar, has increasingly called for the project to be delayed to address neighbors' concerns about natural and historic resources in the area. The proposed site is along Algonquin Trail, near the Rapidan River (RACCOON FORD, VIRGINIA) and Civil War battlefields.

In Monday's letter, Cosby said efforts to respond to community concerns remain ongoing.

"However, at this time, the company believes a withdrawal of the project is necessary in order to ensure that any project proposed represents Cricket's best effort to address community concerns," she stated.

The count Planning Commission hearing on the case, which had been scheduled for Sept. 11, has been canceled, McLearen said.

In a phone call Monday, Cosby referred further questions about the project's future to officials with parent companies, BayWa and Genex Solar company officials did not immediately return a request for comment about the project.
 

Done. It's incredible that this project is being considered; it appears as if all the benefits will accrue to the solar panel company.
 
I think if they want more solar power, which isn´t a bad thing, there are plenty of golf courses in the country just waiting for some actual purpose ...

And for the records: signed
I signed.

I was Born and raised in Culpeper county. Culpeper is my home. I miss Culpeper very much. I shed a tear the last time I was there, because I was so happy to see it.

It's an outrage that they can build things like that, right on historic property.
Ethan,
When I finish restoring the church, you will definitely be getting an invite to a party there!!! : )
 
Frankly, if you want really eco-clean power, you should build nuclear power plants. They are zero-carbon, and do not took a lot of place to establish...
Chernobyl was eco-clean power?...…….:nah disagree:

History tells us nothing is accident free..........United States of America ranks first in terms of highest proved coal reserves. About 25% of the world’s total coal reserve is in this country. USA holds about 237.295 billion tones of coal (as of 2012). Would think investing in improving coal plants would be the far safer option........
 
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Chernobyl was eco-clean power?...…….:nah disagree:

History tells us nothing is accident free..........United States of America ranks first in terms of highest proved coal reserves. About 25% of the world’s total coal reserve is in this country. USA holds about 237.295 billion tones of coal (as of 2012). Would think investing in improving coal plants would be the far safer option........

Fukashima too.

 
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