Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) is urging Governor Kathy Hochul to reconsider New York’s dependence on large-scale solar projects that replace farmland warning that two developments planned in Genesee County threaten one of the state’s most productive agricultural regions. In a recent letter, Hawley called on the governor to stop the $950 million Cider Solar project and the $345 million Excelsior Solar project, which together would take up nearly 6,000 acres of farmland.
He stressed that Genesee County plays a vital role in the state’s agricultural economy and argued that converting fertile farmland into industrial solar sites is reckless at a time when New York is already losing farms at an alarming pace. State figures show that between 2021 and 2022, the number of farms in New York fell by 14% and more than 9% of farmland disappeared.
Hawley also invited Hochul and members of her administration to come to his district, which overlaps with part of her former congressional district, so they could hear directly from local residents whose livelihoods are being jeopardized by these projects…