Submitted by a Path Valley resident.
When spring comes to southern Pennsylvania’s idyllic Path Valley, it’s misted in bright green hues that roll in soft waves between the flowing mountain ranges. In a sudden burst of verdant splendor, even the very tops of the mountains are dressed in green, accented in pastels as the trees and bushes blossom forth. After having been nearly untouched for centuries thanks to generations of conscientious communities preserving simplicity and nature, this spring has been drastically different. Now this valley’s precious ecosystem is doomed to bear a giant scar of commercialism forever. Over eight hundred acres of farmland are being torn up, leaving the earth open in ugly gashes and raw wounds. Gravel is replacing fertile topsoil on perfectly good fields that will never be the same— and just in time to greet the returning migratory songbirds who need such habitat— miles of trees, bushes, and shrubbery are ripped out and destroyed. In addition to the environmental destruction, this utility scale solar project has been paraded about much as a wolf in sheep’s clothing— promising great benefits to the community and no negative ecological effects. However, anyone daring to voice their concerns is met with intimidation and false information.
In spite of an “open house” and April’s township meeting, information regarding the Aspen Road Solar project is about as clear as the muddy water that flowed in torrents off their project fields during the early April rains. The only thing that was obvious was that they couldn’t care less about the community outside of their lessors. According to attendees, when the company was asked about recourse for the loss in property values, their concerns were brushed aside with assurances that they are supporting local businesses. A list of said businesses was available to see, but the support of half a dozen or so local businesses is hardly equal to compensation for property devaluation for the other property owners for generations to come. On open house infoboards Urban Grid insisted that the loss couldn’t be more than about 1.5% or so for homes in the near proximity, but this is in direct contradiction to a study in 2023 by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory which results showed a 2.3% decline in locations up to a quarter of a mile away. This study also showed that homes near solar fields previously used for agriculture saw an average 3% decrease while rural locations saw an average 4.2% decrease. Many houses and properties are finding the Aspen Road Solar project is practically in their backyard, much less than the studied quarter mile distance, yet somehow supporting local businesses in the Valley will compensate property owners for this egregiously underestimated property devaluation? In this society where property rights are important, we also have to respect the property rights of everyone else too. The other residents have an equal right to have their property value left intact as well as the right to enjoy the natural beauty of the Valley that they all have appreciated thus far in choosing to live there. The scenic backdrop and setting was the biggest asset to most of the parcels in the area before its destruction and development.
Many residents are concerned about health impacts as well; Urban Grid is adamant that there are none whatsoever regardless of the fact that they admit that toxins such as lead and cadmium are, in fact, contained within solar equipment. However, while they claim it is ‘unlikely’ that toxin concentrations in air and sea water would ‘exceed environmental regulation values’, they’re seemingly blissfully unaware of the fact that there is no ‘safe’ exposure to these chemicals— that is, no ‘safe’ levels of lead or cadmium in the environment, much less in the human body. Those same infoboards claimed that panels are made from ‘non-toxic’ silicon but conveniently neglected to mention toxic by-products of silicon manufacturing such as silicon tetrachloride which, if not handled safely, can burn skin, create lung disease causing pollutants, and when exposed to water can release hydrochloric acid. While we hope that manufacturers and contractors are being cautious, it’s important to be transparent, even if that means admitting that materials and practices are not as safe as they’d like to pretend they are.
As if there were some secret alliance between Urban Grid, affluent landowners, and various levels of the government, the Path Valley community at large has been treated to misinformation, disrespect, and even intimidation. Far from being the uneducated hillbillies that Urban Grid seems to think they are, residents are passionate about protecting their rights as well as their community, and many have done extensive research into solar projects and longterm consequences. Some attendees at a recent township meeting mentioned that they were told by individuals feigning generosity that the electricity being produced would be sent to needy cities such as Philadelphia; when further inquiries were made with the company, solar experts assured them that it was impossible to ‘send’ or divert electricity to select locations; it is used at closer proximities first before progressing down the line. During a previous township meeting, supervisors, in an effort to placate residents, said that the township wasn’t going to make any money off this project aside from permit fees. However, Urban Grid promises that the community will see great benefits, citing the tax revenue that will come in. The solar company must have missed their highschool study on how taxes work, so here’s the cliff notes version— the individual residents there don’t get paid the tax revenue. The community won’t actually see a penny of it from the solar company and the icing on the cake is that their electricity bills are higher than ever because ‘green energy’ costs consumers more. In a disturbing twist of events, the recent township meeting and the open house were accompanied by a police presence, while at the township meeting attendees noticed that individuals seemly affiliated with the solar project appeared to be taking photographs of any residents who were brave enough to ask questions or voice concerns. These intimidation tactics are more suited to a dictator’s regime during WWII than in 2024 rural Path Valley! Whatever happened to the freedom of speech and respect for each other’s opinions?
In direct contradiction to impacting neither the community or the fragile ecosystem, the Aspen Road project has turned Path Valley upside down. While hiding behind green energy rhetoric, the company is continuously running heavy equipment, much of it diesel powered – and not just backhoes, dozers, graders, pile drivers, and excavators, but also the fleet of company trucks, street sweepers, rinse water trucks, and supplies being trucked in. The previously peaceful valley is filled with the incessant cacophony of their equipment. The endless dust and dirt coating the roads and blowing through the air to land on houses, vehicles, and even eyes and lungs are a constant reminder of the land devastation and broken trust. When someone asked about the numbers associated with panel production, array construction and recycling costs and whether that is actually offset in energy savings, no one seemed to have any answers. Meanwhile, residents are left with properties worth thousands less, additional maintenance and costs from the dirt clean up as well as the lingering allergies. They skeptically chuckle at the company constantly running large equipment, dumping thousands of gallons of water on the roads, and one day possibly recycling or landfilling millions of panels while still attempting to sell it as green energy. Urban Grid will move on to greener pastures in a year or so, leaving the Path Valley community to clean up the aftermath for generations to come. The commonsense people of the Valley don’t see anything green about the new enterprise— other than the green handed down by government subsidies to the solar company and now, in turn, smugly lining the pockets of a select few. The community may end up the poorer for this project both financially and in natural beauty, but at least some individuals will still have their integrity intact, having advocated for preserving the land for future generations.
