Michelle Rotellini, Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce, promotes solar project

From an Article by Jessica Farrish, Beckley Register Herald, September 1, 2020

Raleigh County Commission, on a 2-1 vote, welcomed the county’s first solar farm, a decision that was backed by Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce.

Raleigh Commission President David Tolliver and Commissioner Ron Hedrick voted in favor of a resolution to permit Raleigh Solar, a company formed in West Virginia in 2018 by Dakota Renewable Energy of Denver, to pay the county based on the amount of electricity the farm generated, with Commissioner Linda Epling voting against it.

The original agreement had offered only $1.4 million to the county, but Tolliver, Raleigh Sheriff Scott Van Meter and Raleigh Assessor Linda Sumner had rejected that offer. The approved version on Tuesday was an increase of $600,000, with Van Meter saying he would have liked to have seen the county receive more in the agreement.

Raleigh Solar is responsible, under the agreement, for treating the soil and for putting up a bond to disassemble all the panels, once the 15 years are past.

During the Tuesday meeting, Tolliver reported that there had been a change to the amount of money that the county would receive over a 20-year period. The county is now set to receive $2 million under the plan.

The Raleigh Commission agreed to accept the Dakota offer of just over $2 million for 20 years, or about $600,000 more than the original offer, said Tolliver.

Raleigh Solar signed an agreement to purchase about 600 acres on Grandview Road where it plans to place 1,000 solar panels, if favorable tax incentives are granted, according to Tolliver. A portion of the land is leased.

The agreement that Commission approved on Tuesday has no bearing on the location of the farm. The Raleigh Board of Zoning and Appeals must approve the location, Tolliver said.

Under county code, the agreement had to be approved by the Raleigh Assessor and Raleigh Sheriff, who is the treasurer of the county. Raleigh Assessor Sumner and Sheriff Van Meter both approved the resolution during the Tuesday meeting.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people over this, and I struggled a little, but I’m going to vote yes,” said Van Meter. “Because $2 million extra dollars for 20 years, I can’t leave on the table. “I’d like to have got more for the county, for sure, but I’ll vote yes.”

Raleigh Solar must now present the resolution to the Raleigh Board of Education for approval. Raleigh County Schools receives 78 percent of the funds. Raleigh Schools Superintendent David Price does not vote on the agreement, as was previously reported.

Commissioner Epling’s husband, Beckley businessman Doug Epling, had opposed the plan to allow a solar energy farm to come into the county without paying taxes. Doug Epling, who has interests in coal, had said that while he is in favor of diversifying energy resources in the county and is not “against” solar energy, he disagreed with the tax breaks that are being extended to solar energy, which could potentially cut local coal jobs.

Historically, West Virginia is a coal mining state. State lawmakers recently passed legislation that makes the state friendlier to solar farms but has not yet made explicit laws to allow purchase power agreements (PPA) in the state. A PPA would allow a solar energy company to erect panels on private property, at little or no cost to the property owner. Power generated would be available to the property owner, at a rate that would reduce the owner’s monthly power bill, and any additional generated power would be sold by the company.

Days prior to the Commission vote, Raleigh Chamber had issued a statement in support of diversification of the economy and the solar farm, with Chamber CEO Michelle Rotellini and Beaver Coal Co. General Manager Joe Bevel both voicing support of solar farm plans.

Rotellini pointed out that a diverse economy is a factor that helps attract Fortune 500 companies to a region.

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See also: Raleigh Chamber supports solar farm, Beckley Register Herald, August 29, 2020

“In conclusion, the BRCCC supports an ‘all of the above’ approach to energy options to ensure the future economic growth of Beckley-Raleigh County and all of Southern West Virginia.”

According to information from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal-fired power plants accounted for 92 percent of West Virginia’s electricity net generation in 2018. Renewable energy resources — primarily hydroelectric power and wind energy — contributed 5.3 percent and natural gas provided 2.1 percent.

The West Virginia Legislature in March passed a solar energy bill, a step toward diversifying the state’s energy portfolio. The law created a program that encourages the development of solar energy in the state.

According to statements by attorney Roger Hunter, who represented Raleigh Solar during an Aug. 18 public meeting, the estimated total construction cost for the solar farm is more than $90 million.

“it’s not easy being green”

From an Article by David Beard, Morgantown Dominion Post, January 6, 2020

MORGANTOWN — Some members of the green community assembled on the Courthouse Square Monday afternoon to protest the proposed construction of two new Longview Power plants – one gas-fired, one solar.

The Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition and the West Virginia Sierra Club chapter put on the press conference and timed it to precede a Public Service Commission public hearing on the proposed plants to be held inside the Courthouse.

Duane Nichols, with the Coalition, who lives in Stewartstown said the impacts of the current coal-fired Longview plant and its coal-fired neighbor, Fort Martin, can be seen for miles: The steam plumes block sunshine and affect the weather in that area.

And less than 40% of the fuel energy burned is converted to electrical energy generated, he said. The rest escapes as waste heat. Along with that, “the tonnage of carbon dioxide day after day is adding to that atmosphere.”

The daily truck traffic serving the plant, he said, also creates a nuisance for residents in the area of the plant, over 300 loaded coal trucks per day going up the long Ft. Martin hill.

Longview Power is negotiating a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement for the two plants with Monongalia County that would provide the county with about $58.2 million across 30 years. Jarryd Powell, with the Greater Morgantown Sunrise Movement, sited a report from the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy to highlight what he sees as a flawed agreement.

The WVCBP report says that Mon County would be giving up about $217 million in additional property taxes from alternate, fully taxed uses of the property – which Longview owns.

Powell said, “These $217 million could address green energy investment, improved healthcare, education, infrastructure and many other important issues in Mon County. … This measure simply appears to be a private entity extorting Mon County residents over their rightful tax dollars and preying on our desperation for jobs.”

Jonah Kone, also with Sunrise, focused on the environmental impacts. “In 30 years, I would like to live and work on a healthy planet.”

Lira Reins, with the West Virginia healthy Kids and Families Coalition, said the PILOT will provide less value to the county that the current Longview and Fort Martin PILOTs. The new PILOT would from $1.5 million to $2.5 million per year, while the current Longview PILOT brings in about $3.5 million and Fort Martin about $3.4 million.

Jim Kotcon, Sierra Club conservation chair, said Longview II – the gas-fired plant — will emit 4 million tons of greenhouse gases per year “That’s 4 million tons that will continue to warm the climate.”

Also, he said, there’s no need for the electricity it will produce. “Our region is already dramatically oversupplied with electricity.” He cited testimony to that effect submitted to the PSC. “If demand is not going up and supply increases, somebody’s going away.” Other speakers suggested Fort Martin might be the plant that would fall victim.

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See also: PILOT Agreements Cost State Millions in Tax Revenue: An In-Depth Look at Longview Power Plant, Ted Boettner, WV Center on Budget & Policy, October 15, 2019