Issue of concern to the Town
What about the Town's sand mine?
The Town will be unable to utilize the sand while the solar system is operating. The town will have to buy sand.
The sand mine will need to be graded and top-soiled in preparation for the solar arrays. Once the solar facility is in operation, the Town will have to buy sand. However, the sand source will not go away; it will still be in the ground and available for the Town to continue to use when the lease expires. A mining permit can be amended with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) at that time.
Won’t that cost the taxpayers money?
Yes, a bit, but the $56,000 per year lease income will pay for the sand AND yield a net profit of $34,102 which the Town will use to offset taxes.
The Town currently uses an average of 4000 cubic yards of sand per year. 4000 cubic yards = 5400 tons
If the Town leases the property for solar it will need to buy and truck sand to the salt shed. The Town can buy the sand locally from vendors in Accord or Napanoch.
What about the town mining permit?
A NYS DEC mining permit is required for any mining activity above a certain size in New York State; the permit is good for a five-year period. The Town's current permit is up for renewal. As the proposed lease is for a 20-year term, the mining permit would have to be renewed 4 times over the lease period, if the town continued to mine sand. These permitting renewal fees would be avoided during the solar lease period.
Sand mine closing costs
Closing the mine requires permit closure and reclamation. The estimated costs to close and reclaim the mine are approximately $15,000 in site work and $5,000 in fees and engineering costs. The Town will not incur any closing costs, as the solar developer, Borrego Solar Systems, Inc., will cover all sand mine closure expenses.
Costs to reopen the sand mine
To reopen the mine at the end of the lease would require a new permit. The projected costs (based on 2017-dollar estimates) would be $50,000 to $70,000, based on current permit requirements. The costs to reopen the mine at the end of the lease term will not be paid by the solar developer and will be the responsibility of the Town of Rochester.