Massachusetts towns are raising concerns about large solar proposals, warning that the cost of defending local land-use decisions is straining their budgets.
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In Shutesbury, Planning Board member Jeff Weston told the Greenfield Recorder that the town received no state help with litigation over five proposed projects that might have removed roughly 29,000 trees on 190 acres.
More than 60 people attended an energy-siting listening session held by the Healey-Driscoll administration at Shutesbury Public Library, with others joining online.
Who gets to decide the future of local forests and farmland was a central concern. Residents and officials said state rules diminish their authority while leaving western Massachusetts communities to shoulder development costs…