Issues with the King Transmission/Nine Mile Creek 5000-Acre Industrial Solar Farm

We live in a beautiful, rural county, where families have prospered on pristine farmland and rural acreage for generations. Our rural community is safe, and it thrives on farming, agriculture and our rural way of life, and we deeply value the environmental sanctity and natural beauty that our rural landscape offers. But now, Xcel Energy seeks to install the massive King Transmission/Nine Mile Creek 5000-acre industrial solar farm spanning from Hammond Township and north/northeast through New Richmond, Baldwin, Erin Prairie, Richmond Township, Erin Corner, Jewitt, Emerald and others. This proposed plan will install millions of solar panels (approx. 2000 panels per acre – the panels are manufactured and shipped from China and other foreign countries), and hundreds of miles of fencing stretching across 5000 acres of our pristine farmlands, around residential housing developments, the Nagel Wildlife Area and other sensitive and protected wildlife areas. The proposal also calls for the building of a massive ten-acre energy substation along with a large number of smaller buildings scattered across the solar farm tract.

This massive industrial-sized solar farm might sound progressive on paper, but the proposal has unforeseen negative health, safety, environmental and economic consequences. If the plan comes to fruition, it will have a significant impact on our local environment, including the loss of wildlife habitat, possible soil erosion and runoff, negative human health impacts and disruption of our local agriculture industry. Furthermore, the rural scenic beauty of our community, a key factor in our property values, will be materially degraded or worse.

Moreover, farms translate into jobs. Cutting down on farmlands means jeopardizing the livelihoods of our friends and neighbors, ultimately leading to a decrease in farming and agriculture jobs. The installation of this solar farm not only threatens the health and safety of those who live near it, but it also threatens our property values but also the very essence of our rural culture.

The Many Negative Health, Safety, Environmental & Economic Impacts of Industrial Solar Farms:

Environmental Risks:

• Drinking Water Well Contamination
• Diminishes and/or Destroys Habitat for Endangered and Threatened Species (St. Croix County is home to 11 endangered and threatened species many of which live in the land of the proposed solar farm)
• Run Off Pollution to Lakes, Rivers, Streams and Ponds
• Massive Uncontrolled Fire Risk (there are ZERO fire departments, water hydrants or other capabilities to fight fires in the proposed solar farm area)
• Soil Contamination from Caustic Chemicals Leaching from the Plastics, Rubber, Silicon and other Solar Panel Materials
• Permanent Contamination of Farmland
• Impact on Local Climate (the presence of solar panels can alter local temperature and moisture levels, potentially affecting native species)
• Impact on Local Climate (the presence of solar panels can alter local temperature and moisture levels, potentially affecting native species)
• Pollution from the Manufacturing Process of Solar Panels (involves hazardous materials and can generate massive pollution and improper disposal of used solar panels can lead to environmental contamination)
• Massive Loss of Animal and Plant Habitat
• Permanent Loss of Farmland
• Reduction in Human Food and Animal Feed Production

Economic & Other Risks:

• Decimation of Property Values (due to the massive industrial blight, health and safety risks created by solar farms – the proposed solar farm completely surrounds multiple residential developments in Hammond Township)
• Loss of Agricultural Jobs
• Loss of Tourism Dollars
• Drives up Land Prices Decreasing Farms and Increasing Housing Prices (industrial solar farms drive up land prices, making it more expensive for local farmers and residents to purchase or lease land)
• Degradation of Rural Culture and Rural Communities