The land use argument against solar collapses under the weight of the facts. There’s a talking point making the rounds in statehouses across the country. It goes something like this: solar power is eating up our farmland. It’s a clean-sounding argument. It invokes the family farm, the amber waves of grain, a way of lifeContinue reading “Solar Doesn’t Threaten Farming. It Saves It.”
Category Archives: JTFEnvironment
FACT: Wind Turbines Have Minimal Impacts on Bird and Bat Populations
Wind and solar developers routinely follow a regimented, science-based protocol to evaluate sites for risks to species and their habitats and to mitigate any potential impacts, which include coordinating with the appropriate subject matter experts at state and federal wildlife agencies. Learn more in APA’s response to Senate Bill 819 (Kolkhorst).
FACT CHECK: Wind and Solar Energy Have Minimal Impact on Bird and Bat Populations
Wind and solar developers routinely follow a regimented, science-based protocol to evaluate sites for risks to species and their habitats and to mitigate any potential impacts, which include coordinating with the appropriate subject matter experts at state and federal wildlife agencies. Learn more in APA’s response to Senate Bill 819 (Kolkhorst).
Solar Farms Are Usually Built on Flat Land. Will They Create Runoff Issues?
Stormwater is regulated at the federal level under Section 402(p) of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Like all construction projects that will disturb more than one acre of land, solar projects must comply with all state and federal regulations, including getting construction permits and developing a stormwater pollution prevention plan. Stormwater violations are subject toContinue reading “Solar Farms Are Usually Built on Flat Land. Will They Create Runoff Issues?”
Is the Solar Farm Going to Use Our Water?
We hear a lot of crazy accusations traveling around the country, meeting with communities about wind and solar projects. One of the wildest assertions recently heard was in a small community where neighbors had become petrified after learning that their limited water supply would be impacted by the new solar project. They have been told,Continue reading “Is the Solar Farm Going to Use Our Water?”
Are Solar Panels Are Filled with Toxic Chemicals that Leach Into Our Water Supply?
Often funded by competing energy sources, opponents of renewable energy use misleading pseudo-science to stir up local opposition to projects. By scaring constituents with misleading information and inaccurate risk assessments, they hope to keep consumers hooked on dirtier, more expensive energy resources. One of the arguments they make most often involves “hazardous chemicals” in solarContinue reading “Are Solar Panels Are Filled with Toxic Chemicals that Leach Into Our Water Supply?”