CARVER

arsenic wood poles

The Story

TIMELINE

Dynamic consults with ____

2018

Dynamic constructs a 4-megawatt, 17,000-panel solar energy project at a former sand and gravel pit at 103 Briar Hill Road

2018

Environmental damages such as ___ begin to appear.

2018

April 2020

lawsuit filed by the Healey’s office alleging that Dynamic Energy Solutions LLC disregarded “fundamental pollution control requirements” for construction sites under federal and state law when it constructed an 18.5-acre solar array on a steep hillside above the West Branch Mill River.

2021

solar array developer has agreed to pay approximately $1.14 million to settle allegations that it violated federal stormwater requirements, damaging protected wetlands, and polluted the West Branch of the Mill River in Williamsburg

Currently

Environmental restoration is underway. Dyanmic has ____ . However residents note that ____.

Location

SITE MAP

The Beals and Thomas + A.D. Makepeace site is planned for a forested area along Tihonet Road in Wharem, MA, home to 54 acres of Pine Barrens

Impacts

IMPACTS

Connections to Other Cases

TAKEAWAYS

Like solar development proposals across the Massachusetts, the Williamsburg case shows the ecological and financial damage an inappropriate solar project can cause.

Here's what we can learn from this case to protect forests and communities across the state:

Doer SMART Solar

Ecological damage is longterm and causes financial damage. The solar company responsible for the damages is now responsible for paying $1.4 million in restoration fees. This is money and time that could be going towards building other renewable energy systems.

Even with restoration, environmental damage will continue. It takes centuries for a forest ecosystem to develop, and destruction at this level will likely take decades to recover.

It is also important to note that, without the community lawsuit against the company, they would not have been held responsible for this damage. Again, the time and money spent on a damage lawsuit like this could be going towards smart energy solutions.

Solar projects require impact evaluations

Without community involvement early on, an impact evaluation was not done on this site, resulting. Luckily, towns have begun to learn from one another and are now insisting on impact evaluations before the implementation of such projects.

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