Residents in the Poconos are criticizing a plan for a solar farm that they say is confusing and poorly researched.
Samsung Solar Energy LCC and their satellite company, Effort Solar LCC, want to build a nearly 500-acre project in Polk and Chestnuthill Townships. Chestnuthill’s Board of Supervisors unanimously voted against the project in September 2023. However, the developers did not withdraw their proposal, and are still using their joint Polk-Chestnuthill plans in their application for conditional use approval in Polk Township.
Alan German, a local resident, believes Samsung invalidated their project. He chastised them at Polk Township’s meeting on Tuesday night.
“I think it’s kind of difficult when an application is in, but it’s not really complete or it’s not accurate, where it involves Chestnuthill,” said German.
Several residents asked Samsung to remove Chestnuthill Township from their application. The Polk Township plans list equipment Samsung planned to put in Chestnuthill.
Chris Simmons, the project’s manager, said Samsung will not change their plan, regardless of the township’s decision.
“Our plan is to continue trying to work with Chestnuthill Township, to say plainly, sorry,” said Simmons.
Robert Ely worries the local fire department will not have time to respond to the solar panels in time in case of an emergency.
“They’re all volunteer firefighters. This is not a big city with firemen living at the firehouse. They come from fifteen miles away, five miles away.
The developer said it will take them nearly three hours to turn off electricity going to the panels – residents fear that emergency responders could be electrocuted if there is a running current.
Residents also criticized the environmental impact of the project.
Deborah Modica questioned why developers chose to clear cut a forest instead of building solar panels on already existing industrial areas. She and several other residents worry developers will kill off bears, salamanders, and other animals by destroying their home.
“If I come into your house with an AK-47 and steal your food and threaten your family, you’re going to protect yourself…So, Max [Ojserkis,] these animals, what is going to be done to protect them,” said Modica.
Max Ojserkis is the environmental scientist working on the project. He wrote the engineering firm’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Polk Township. It holds developers accountable for their effects on local plants and wildlife.
Michael McMurphy also targeted Ojerkis’s environmental statement. He argued it ignored the affected animals’ needs.
“Did you consider the needs of the wildlife in regards to rains and sustenance? So, when you have their habitat disrupted by the placement of these large fields of solar panels, the normal areas that they travel are going to be highly disrupted. The ability of prey that’s available to be hunted to hunting animals is going to be severely disrupted,” said McMurphy. “Did you consider any of that in your statement that there’s plenty of other places for these wildlife to go?”
Ojserkis replied after a short pause.
“I would argue that some of them operate on a much larger scale, and this solar farm may be insignificant compared to their [habitable] range,” said Ojserkis.
Many residents left the meeting feeling frustrated with Samsung and Effort Solar. Mark Martini argued they changed their promises to residents several times throughout the meeting.
“How can [our supervisors] believe, how can we believe or trust you guys when there’s never a definite answer to any question that we get? It always changes,” said Martini. “And I understand it’s in the building process – that’s sort of a stepping stone to get where you’re getting – but you got to get us some ground laying of something that’s honest.”
Nate Fox, Samsung’s attorney, explained that Samsung would not be able to answer most of residents’ questions at that time – it’s too early in the development process to have final plans available. Residents asked mostly about project development plans.
“In a basic sense, [the township’s] zoning ordinance and conditional use [decision] creates the box in which the rest of the design work has to comply. So, while I do recognize, I do understand, I do see some frustrated gestures and upsettedness…I know we’re not doing everything at this time, and some of the things we really couldn’t do at this time – but this is the very starting place,” said Fox.
Samsung and Effort Solar finished presenting their case on Tuesday. Polk Township scheduled a meeting for residents to make their own cases against the developers for April 2. It will be at the Polk Twp. Volunteer Fire Department at 6 p.m. For links to the project, go to https://polktwp.org/.
