Numerous Department of the Environment Violations at Blake Solar Project Site

Multiple complaints have been filed with the West Virginia Department of the Environment, resulting in multiple inspections and the issuing of multiple notices of violations.
See the inspection reports, including pictures below.
View the complaints by selecting each file below:

Violations include, among others, no corrective action for construction areas and no provision for temporary seeding and mulching. In other words, soil will continue to run off during construction, unless this is corrected. “The majority of the sediment trapping structures on the site had been removed and converted to permanent storm water management ponds. Other trapping structures that were not converted had been removed. However, the site remained disturbed…”

Still, to this date, the violations have not been remediated to the satisfaction of the Virginia Department of the Environment. Yet, no stop work orders have been issued, and no fines have been levied. These regulations need teeth, in the form of stop work orders and hefty fines.

This project is a bellwether for what we can expect if other solar projects are built in Jefferson County. The solar text amendment needs to be repealed. It is not in accordance with our current Comprehensive Plan.

A thoughtful solar plan could allow solar development on brownfield areas, such as the county dump or the Millville quarry site, not on prime farmland. Perhaps much smaller solar projects could be built on existing substation land plots owned by power companies. But in no way is this carte blanch approach of allowing solar farms anywhere in urban zoned areas and as a permitted use anywhere else good for Jefferson County or its citizens.

It is only “good” for a few large landowners, and some real estate developers who will reap a large profit windfall, at everyone else’s’ expense.