Assemblyman Brian Manktelow is upset that the town of Conquest has no local representation on the siting board that will consider the fate of a proposed energy project in the town.
The Assemblyman has sent a letter to call upon Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Sen. President Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Gov. Kathy Hochul to take action making long-overdue local ad hoc appointments to an Article 10 Siting Board in the Town of Conquest. Article 10 Siting Boards are in charge of the permit process of power plants and re-powering projects. These local appointments to the Siting Board ensure that the towns in which these facilities are in have representation to express the thoughts and concerns of the community. Nominations were made by Conquest Town Supervisor Charles M. Knapp on October 2, 2020 with multiple follow-ups by both Sen. Pamela A. Helming and Conquest Town Attorney Norman J. Chirco.
“I am greatly disappointed in the lack of action regarding local representation for the Town of Conquest,” said Manktelow. “This should be a quick and easy process and the fact that it has taken well over a year is completely unacceptable. Due to this inaction, the town has gone unrepresented for far too long while major projects, such as the Garnet Energy Center, have moved forward. Towns deserve a say in what goes on in their community, especially when it comes to power plants and centers such as the Garnet Energy Center. I am calling on Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Sen. President Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Gov. Kathy Hochul to move this process along to get the town the representation it deserves.”
The Garnet Energy Center is a proposed 200 megawatt solar energy generation plant planned for a plot of private land in Conquest.
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