TORRINGTON — The Connecticut Siting Council has denied Lodestar Energy’s application for a solar farm on 41 acres West Hill Road. “The Siting Council determined that the scale of forest clearing and the associated environmental impacts outweighed any potential benefits of the project,” Mayor Molly E. Spino said in a statement. “We appreciate the council’s careful consideration of these factors.” The city has opposed the project since learning of Lodestar’s plans last January to submit an application to develop a 3.0-megawatt ground-mounted solar photovoltaic electric generating facility. Spino, in her announcement, noted the city also represented the interests of Torrington residents in the opposition. Pointing out that the project offered no direct benefit to local taxpayers, she said installing the more than 7,500 solar panels called for would have required clearing 19 acres of prime forest and impacting 24 acres of farmland soil. Of the forest, 10 acres are considered “core forest” and the remainder is consider “edge forest” which generally borders non-forested land. Core forests provide habitat for wildlife unable to tolerate significant disturbance. The loss of such forest cover diminishes water purification and habitat values, according to the state’s website. Spino also noted that the city had “significant environmental concerns,” about the project, including that the site is located near drinking water reservoirs that also impacts an endangered bat habitat.
Connecticut Siting Council denies solar farm for Torrington forest on West Hill
