A solar farm in Harmoney, FloridaPaul Hennessy/Sipa/AP
“There are lots of people who say, ‘Nimby, nimby, nimby,’ and the people who say, ‘Nimby, nimby, nimby,’ they don’t live right next door to it.”
That’s what one retiree told Reveal’s Jonathan Jones when he traveled to upstate New York to find out why so many people in the rural town of Copake are fighting to stop a massive solar energy project from being built.
Jonathan’s story, a version of which first aired in January, sheds light on one of the key reasons why it’s so difficult to build the green energy infrastructure we need to transition away from fossil fuels—even in a deep-blue state. “We are not climate deniers, nor are we NIMBYists,” another resident told Jonathan. “We believe in the need for renewable energy, and we just want to have a say in how it’s done so that it’s reasonable and is consonant with the kind of community that we have and what we want.”
The result: The solar project—which is supposed to supply enough renewable power for 15,000 households—has been stalled for years.
The situation in Copake is far from unique. Once you’ve listened to the Reveal podcast, I also recommend reading Henry Carnell’s recent Mother Jones story about the decade-long legal morass that has delayed the completion of a transmission line that’s supposed to deliver power from 161 midwestern wind and solar projects.
