COPAKE RESIDENTS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, FARMERS, FIRE AND FINANCE EXPERTS, TROUT FISHERMAN, HISTORIANS, TOWN SUPERVISORS AND MANY OTHERS OBJECTED TO THE SHEPHERD’S RUN DRAFT PERMIT AT JANUARY HEARINGS;
ORES FINAL DECISION DUE BY SEPTEMBER, 2026
A HUGE THANK YOU to the hundreds of Copake residents and other citizens who showed up in bitter cold on January 21 and 22, and virtually on January 27, for hearings on the draft permit for the Hecate 42 MW Shepherd’s Run solar facility, proposed for 215 acres in Copake, NY. The hundred plus people who spoke at the NYS Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) hearings overwhelmingly opposed the project.
Senator Michelle Hinchey and Assemblymember Didi Barrett spoke out strongly in opposition on January 22. Read news coverage HERE.
Many speakers, some whose families have farmed in the area for several generations, expressed intense opposition to the loss of prime agricultural land at the site. Others expressed concern that a brush and equipment fire at the site could put the chldren at the adjoining 1000-student Taconic Hills Central Schools in danger. Yet others questioned Hecate’s financial stability and pointed out that the New York Power Authority in mid-January announced it was no longer considering co-developing Shepherd’s Run with Hecate. Eleven Columbia County Town Supervisors objected to the draft permit’s overriding of town land use, environmental and planning laws.
Sensible Solar for Rural New York is a coalition of concerned citizens in rural Columbia County, New York in strong opposition to the Hecate Shepherd’s Run Solar Project – a proposed 215-acre, 42 MW industrial-size solar installation to be sited in Copake, NY.
The project is wrong for Copake, wrong for Columbia County and wrong for New York State. It sprawls over 700 acres in the middle of the Taghkanic Creek Watershed, potentially threatening the sole source of Hudson’s drinking water. It will clear cut forest near the Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Sanctuary. It will take threatened species habitat, and occupy many acres of prime agricultural land. A brushfire on the site could engulf the adjacent Taconic Hills Regional Schools in smoke.
The project was already rejected once by ORES, the NY State permitting authority, in February, 2024, after 60 acres of the project site were sold to a new landowner.
On December 23, 2024, Hecate reapplied to ORES, for a new permit to build a slightly smaller 42 MW facility at the same location.
Hecate received two “Incomplete” Notices regarding its application, but on September 19, despite many continued glaring omissions, including failure to provide an evacuation plan for the Taconic Schools in the event of fire, ORES deemed the application “Complete.”
ORES issued a Draft Permit for Shepherd’s Run on November 18, 2025. It held in person hearings in Copake on January 21 and 22, and a virtual hearing on January 27, 2026, at which speakers were overwhelmingly opposed to the project.
The Comment Period on the application and the Draft Permit is now CLOSED. Many thanks to those who commented — there are an extraordinary 1,068 comments on record with processing continuing.
Sensible Solar, the Town of Copake, Birch Hill Road Neighbors Association, and Craryville Farms LLC have filed petitions for party status and requests for adjudicatory hearings on multiple issues, including: lack of an evacuation plan for the Taconic Schools, encroachment on wetlands, and permanent conversion of prime farmland, among others. ORES must announce whether it will hold such hearings by February 18, 2026.
ORES then has until mid-September, 2026 to decide whether to grant a Final Permit for the project.
Shepherd’s Run’s impact on the Taghkanic Watershed, Copake’s economy and the environment remains unacceptable. Sensible Solar for Rural New York continues to oppose to this inappropriate and unnecessary project.
Shepherd’s Run is opposed by all our local elected officials including State Senator Michelle Hinchey (click HERE for letter) and Assemblymember Didi Barrett (click HERE for letter.) Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson has also weighed in HERE.
See the latest updates on this project AND most importantly, how you can help, by clicking below:
Latest Updates on the Project |
Action Steps & Key Message Points |
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Updated map of the proposed Shepherd’s Run solar facility is shown below.
Areas outlined in black represent areas of solar panels that will be fenced in.
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