Lovell residents voted 202-30 to pass an ordinance killing a proposed 180-acre solar farm in a town meeting Saturday morning. The farm, proposed by Walden Renewables, drew the ire of residents for its potential impact on the views of the surrounding mountains, as well as threatening the rural landscape of the town according to residents.”I built here because of the beautiful mountain view,” said Tom McLaughlin, a member of ‘Our Eden Association’, a group created to fight the solar farm. “Now you’re going to see 100,000 solar panels in front of the mountains, that’s going to diminish the value of my property.”McLaughlin and other opponents of the farm hailed the result of the vote.“I’m very gratified and proud of the people of level who have turned out for this,” McLaughlin said.Supporters of the solar farm say the concerns of some residents should be outweighed by the benefit to the environment that the solar panels would bring.“It’s not a small town, big town issue,” said Lovell resident John McCann, who supported the solar farm. “It’s an all hands, all lands perspective. We have to be mindful of our impact on the environment in many different ways.”Walden Renewables says the farm would bring energy to 9,500 Maine homes at a fraction of the CMP rate, create more than 200 jobs and pay $8.8 million in local taxes. The company did not respond for comment on the vote.The ordinance Lovell passed at the meeting would allow for a 10-acre solar farm to be built, as opposed to the 180-acre farm proposed.
Lovell residents voted 202-30 to pass an ordinance killing a proposed 180-acre solar farm in a town meeting Saturday morning.
The farm, proposed by Walden Renewables, drew the ire of residents for its potential impact on the views of the surrounding mountains, as well as threatening the rural landscape of the town according to residents.
“I built here because of the beautiful mountain view,” said Tom McLaughlin, a member of ‘Our Eden Association’, a group created to fight the solar farm. “Now you’re going to see 100,000 solar panels in front of the mountains, that’s going to diminish the value of my property.”
McLaughlin and other opponents of the farm hailed the result of the vote.
“I’m very gratified and proud of the people of level who have turned out for this,” McLaughlin said.
Supporters of the solar farm say the concerns of some residents should be outweighed by the benefit to the environment that the solar panels would bring.
“It’s not a small town, big town issue,” said Lovell resident John McCann, who supported the solar farm. “It’s an all hands, all lands perspective. We have to be mindful of our impact on the environment in many different ways.”
Walden Renewables says the farm would bring energy to 9,500 Maine homes at a fraction of the CMP rate, create more than 200 jobs and pay $8.8 million in local taxes. The company did not respond for comment on the vote.
The ordinance Lovell passed at the meeting would allow for a 10-acre solar farm to be built, as opposed to the 180-acre farm proposed.
