Mora Solar: A Good Idea in the Wrong Place

At the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) public hearing on June 23, over 75 residents, community leaders, Township officials, scientists, conservation organizations, and Northeastern PA Girl Scout leadership showed up to protest the proposed Mora Solar project. Based in Durham, North Carolina, Mora Solar, LLC, wants to build an industrial-scale, 60-MW solar farm on 390 acres of pristine forest in Kidder Township, including High-Quality wild brown trout-fishing streams such as the Fourth Run, Shingle Mill Run, and Black Creek (also known as Hayes Creek). The commercial solar farm will not lower our electricity costs or offset the PPL projects underway in Carbon County to support the proposed data centers in Nesquehoning and Penn Forest. Mora Solar is another project that extracts value from Carbon County without addressing local unemployment or other community needs. The speakers’ backgrounds and perspectives varied, but the message was clear: impacting 390 acres of pristine forest and valuable streams to construct an industrial-scale solar farm doesn’t make sense. Speakers included Christian Bartulovich, who spent years working on and writing zoning and land development ordinances, and shared his concerns about the lack of information in the plans. Christian pointed out that nearly every page bears the same stamp, in the engineer's own words: "Permit Drawing, Not Released for Construction," and that it doesn’t make sense to ask residents or Township Supervisors to weigh in on a blueprint that the people who drew it say isn’t finished. He also raised significant concerns about a Common Plan of Development. Dr. Alex Jackson from Monroe County discussed Pennsylvania’s antidegradation requirements for High Quality streams like the Fourth Run, Shingle Mill, and Black Creek, emphasizing that these waters must be protected. Chuck Cutshall, Vice President of Love Kidder Township, proposed that Mora Solar redevelop abandoned or underutilized commercial and industrial properties in Carbon County to avoid negative impacts on our forests and the Lehigh River headwaters. Carolyn Lange addressed the cumulative impacts of continued large-scale development, such as data centers, warehouses, and other construction, throughout the Lehigh and Delaware River watershed system. Carolyn noted that decisions made in these headwaters affect downstream communities and water quality far beyond Carbon County. Don Miller, Jim Miller, and Mark Peterson spoke about the risks posed by Mora Solar and the importance of preserving Exceptional Value wetlands for our watershed and our eco-tourism-based economy. No one opposed appropriately sited solar farms. Not one person spoke against the idea of using solar energy – where it makes sense. The June 23 hearing made one thing clear: residents and experts from across the region want a full, transparent, construction‑ready record before any decision is made. With so many High Quality and Exceptional Value waters at stake, the PA-DEP has the responsibility to weigh the evidence carefully and ensure every requirement is fully satisfied before considering a permit.