Relevant

Lancaster:  Recently, the Lancaster County Planning Commission was called upon to review a zoning amendment proposed by Community Energy, Inc. for a solar farm in East Drumore Township. The implications of the proposal have far-ranging consequences for Lancaster County because they bring into focus the interest of Lancaster County in preserving its agricultural land for agriculture while, at the same time, trying to respond to projects that generate new forms of energy.  James Cowhey, Director of the Planning Commission, has asked the Center of Excellence to post the full statement which you can download by clicking here.

In the end, the Planning Commission recommended against the project in East Drumore Township.  “Great project, wrong location” seems to have driven the final decision.  "We support alternative energy production in the right place and at the right scale. We invite the state to have a dialog with us about how we can help meet the state's energy diversification goals while also implementing our important local planning initiatives, including the protection of our prime agricultural soils and the agricultural economy.  We invite the public to understand the complexity of this issue and our commitment to planning for the protection of prime agricultural soils at the same time we plan for alternative energy production."  To comment, contact Mr. Cowhey by clicking here. 

Washington, DC (April 22, 2010):  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced an initiative designed to help agricultural producers transition to more energy efficient operations. This initiative will make funding available for individual on-farm energy audits designed to save both money and energy when fully implemented.

"Reducing energy use on America's farms and ranches will not only help our agricultural producers become more profitable, but also help the United States become more energy independent," said Vilsack. "Through this initiative, producers will be able to receive individual on-farm energy audit evaluations and assistance with implementation of energy conservation and efficiency measures.

"Approximately 1,000 on-farm energy audit evaluations in 29 states will be funded by $2 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in fiscal year 2010. The energy audits will be individually tailored to ensure coverage of each farm's primary energy uses such as milk cooling, irrigation pumping, heating and cooling of livestock production facilities, manure collection and transfer, grain drying, and similar common on-farm activities. Participating states include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.