Credit: Bob Barnett
Clear cutting has begun at the Carson Power solar project in Pulvers Corners, a hamlet in Pine Plains. The project received final approval on Dec. 2 to clear approximately 26 acres of forest for a 42-acre solar farm on a 172-acre property at the intersection of Route 199 and Bean River Road. When completed, likely by the end of 2025, the 24,000 solar panels are expected to generate enough electricity to power about 15,000 homes, feeding into the nearby Central Hudson substation.
“We’re now underway with our first phase of construction, which includes tree clearing and preparing the site,” said Andrew Gordon, Carson Power’s director of project development, during a walkthrough with local officials. Surveyors marked the project area with staking flags in November, and the site received final approval after a Dec. 2 inspection led by Michael Stabile, chair of the Pine Plains Planning Board. “It was all flagged up. We looked at sensitive areas near the boundaries, and everything looked to be in line,” Stabile said. “They can fell the trees.”
Carson Power initially planned to begin tree clearing more than a year ago, following project approval from the Pine Plains Planning Board in December 2022. However, restrictions to protect endangered bats in the area limit tree cutting to between November and March. The company missed that window after failing to finalize the planning board’s pre-construction agreements in time.
Opposition to the development from nearby landowners and others led to a lawsuit filed by Preserve Pine Plains in December 2023. The suit was dismissed by a Putnam County State Supreme Court judge in June 2024. Although the group has the option to appeal the decision, it has not done so, and tree clearing will proceed before any potential ruling on an appeal.
“Every large landowner in the area came out against the project,” said Kathleen V. Augustine, a 30-year resident of 120 acres on Prospect Hill Road and an advocate for conservation and zoning. “We spent two years fighting this project. We were scratching our heads, wondering how they could build a commercial solar plant in a rural hamlet. We’re concerned about runoff on that steep slope and about the complete upsetting of wildlife and biodiversity. More and more, people are beginning to understand the importance of forests.”
Augustine noted that Pine Plains’ Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2004, emphasizes protecting the town’s rural and agricultural character. “When we wrote that plan, I don’t believe a solar development in a rural hamlet was what we thought of,” she said. Preserve Pine Plains has requested an extension to file an appeal as it works to raise money for legal fees.
In 2018, Alison Galliher and her husband purchased 53 acres on Skunks Misery Road in Pulvers Corners, where they built a home in 2020. Their house overlooks the south-facing slope now being cleared for the Carson Power project. “We chose Pine Plains for the community, the rural character, and the farmland,” Galliher said. Reflecting on when she first learned about the project in 2023, she added, “I was a little surprised. What’s the benefit to Pine Plains so that we’re letting them clearcut the forest?”
Carson Power will make an annual “payment in lieu of taxes” of $4,583.60 to the town, with the amount increasing by 2% each year for 15 years. A similar payment to the school system is still under negotiation. “That’s nothing,” said Galliher, who remains in contact with the Preserve Pine Plains group but is not involved in its lawsuit. She also expressed concern that the solar project may be visible from the Stissing Mountain fire tower. “That’s a big landmark. Now people who come here to climb the mountain will see a power plant,” she said.
Galliher’s home has the most direct sightline to the solar panels, prompting Carson Power to agree to plant trees to obscure the view. “We didn’t choose this property to build a house to look at a commercial power plant,” she said. However, visibility isn’t her primary concern. “For me, it’s not as much the impact on us personally as the community impact. With the clearcutting, what about all the animals? Where will it push them?”
According to Gordon, strong opposition to the visibility of solar panels was a significant factor in siting the project within a forested area. If the public had been more accepting of visible panels along locations such as Route 199 or Bean River Road, he said, “We would have utilized the existing visible field and would have been very close to fitting the entirety of the project in previously cleared areas of the property.” Before the lawsuit, however, neighbors opposing the forested siting researched and promoted a proposal to scale the project back by about half. This alternative would have placed the panels primarily on cornfields rather than forested land, reducing visibility.
A Year of Construction
The clearcutting phase is expected to take a few weeks, with construction slated to begin in the winter, weather permitting, or by spring at the latest, Gordon said. Initially, tree stumps will be left on the property to help control soil erosion and flooding before being removed during the construction phase. Carson has also committed to a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan to mitigate erosion. Reflecting on the project’s progression, Stabile said, “It’s been a long process, but we did our due diligence.”
Once operational, the project is expected to prevent millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change. Carson Power estimates the solar array will displace nearly 13,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually — equivalent to the emissions from 1.5 million gallons of gasoline. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which has pledged approximately $700,000 in grants for the project once it becomes operational, offers a more conservative estimate of 9,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide displaced annually.
The trees that are being felled sequester nearly 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. So even with the more conservative NYSERDA estimates, the loss of trees will be offset by carbon saved through solar in just over a year. But the benefit of forested land is more than just as a carbon dioxide holding tank, of course. It prevents soil erosion, cools the atmosphere and promotes the biodiversity that supports life.
However, the ecological value is especially significant for large, uninterrupted forested areas exceeding 250 acres, known as “core” forests. These areas are free of roads and human disruption. Sarah Jones, a former Pine Plains Town Board member who now serves on the town’s ad hoc zoning committee, said the Carson project likely does not contain core forest. “Because of the fields in the middle of the project, there’s not much more or maybe no core forest,” she said. For future proposals, Jones hopes the town gives greater consideration to core forest issues. “It was a huge learning curve,” she added. While Jones had supported a full environmental review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) to better evaluate the impact of forest loss, she ultimately believes the project will benefit the community.
One unappreciated element of the agreement, Jones added, is that the rest of the 172 acres owned by Carson Power will be permanently preserved from development, in an agreement with Scenic Hudson. “The town is getting a large piece of acreage that is visible from the road, and that’s great,” she said. She thinks Carson has been proactive in making adjustments due to community concerns, and believes the lack of visibility, plus the nearness of the project to the Central Hudson substation, makes it a positive endeavor. “Basically, I think it’s a good project, and I live quite near it.”
The project, which will supply 18 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, is a part of the state of New York’s goal to provide 70% of energy from renewable sources by the year 2030. According to NYSERDA, the state has already reached its goal of providing 6 gigawatts — 6 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) — of distributed solar installments such as the Carson project. By 2030, the goal is 10 gigawatts.
“We are excited to see the project reach this critical milestone,” said Gordon. “New York state has huge renewable energy goals, and we are excited that this project will contribute to our mission of helping New York achieve its renewable energy objectives.”
Augustine and Galliher noted that while they oppose this development, they do support renewable energy projects. “We believe solar arrays belong on rooftops, on parking lots and airport garage buildings,” said Augustine. “In Pine Plains, we could have solar on top of the high school and other large buildings.”
Galliher noted that the town is considering a new Town Hall and suggested incorporating solar panels into its rooftop design. “The town is looking at a new Town Hall — we can incorporate solar on that rooftop,” she said. She also highlighted a successful solar initiative in Poughkeepsie, where panels are being installed in a large IBM parking lot. Augustine added, “It’s my sincere opinion that where there is any question about a project, the people who live there should be considered first. I don’t think that happened here. We were trying to save the forest. I guess that’s not going to happen.”
