Energy Sprawl is Not Green

New Yorkers, Our Government is not telling you the truth!

False Promise #1:  New York’s Climate plan protects the environment

REALITY: Large-scale solar and wind will not solve the climate crisis. By relying on a massive buildout of underperforming, intermittent generation that consumes huge amounts of land, the state’s unrealistic plan ensures that NY will continue burning fossil fuels—while sacrificing a million acres of farmland, woods, and open space to energy sprawl.

False Promise #2:  Giant solar/wind projects benefit communities & the economy

REALITY:  Affordable, abundant, and reliable energy is essential for economic growth. But with intermittent renewables, NY residents and businesses are in for higher electric rates, energy shortages, and blackouts. Answering to industry lobbyists, the state even created a reduced property valuation for renewable projects to rob communities of tax revenue. 

False Promise #3:  Large-scale solar/wind creates good, local jobs

REALITY: State agencies are awarding large-scale renewable contracts to foreign and out-of-state firms, sending billions of dollars out of NY and turning rural upstate into a “cash cow” for developers to milk. Installers of solar panels made in China make far less than skilled union workers employed in other energy industries.

False Promise #4:  Towns still have “Home Rule”

REALITY:  Towns are under attack by the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES).  Ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Law 94-c grants ORES the authority to override local laws, despite guarantees of Home Rule in the state constitution.

THE UGLY CONCLUSION

Our state government is silencing local voices, stripping us of our rights, and sacrificing communities for a plan that won’t work. Large-scale solar and wind exploit farmland and nature for downstate political agendas and corporate profit. Greenwashing at its worst.  

HAD ENOUGH?  WE HAVE!  JOIN US.

We are a coalition of communities fighting to save rural New York from energy sprawl. Help us demand fair treatment and a voice in Albany. Tell us about yourself and any solar or wind threats in your community by e-mailing us at: stopenergysprawl@gmail.com 

Together, we can save rural New York!