Town wasn’t serious about land swap

The Town of Brookhaven has had six years to provide alternative sites for all or parts of the Middle Island Solar Farm in Mastic [“Stop order on clearing trees lifted,” News, March 5].

After our project was approved, the town offered 20 acres to swap at its landfill, and we accepted, only to read in Newsday later that the town gave the development rights to someone else. Even as we entered our third week of clearing, we had not received any overture from the town regarding any swap for remaining acres.

Let’s be honest: The leadership of the town was never serious about a land swap. Instead, the town chose to play zero-sum politics, supporting a fiscally irresponsible, anti-environmental bill that would have stolen my property and killed our project. Thankfully, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo vetoed this legislation, siding with leading environmental organizations.

This land is zoned industrial. It is not in the pine barrens and will have no impact on the Forge River. Our project preserves 40 percent of our 100-acre property as forested land, with the remaining 60 percent to be solar panels that will sit atop native grasses.

We need to urgently fight climate change. Our project is needed now more than ever.

Jerry Rosengarten, Brookhaven

Editor’s note: The writer is managing member of Middle Island Solar Farm.

A plan for a solar farm in Mastic involves cutting down 60 acres of trees. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo vetoed legislation that would have protected those trees, as well as 800 acres of forest at the old Shoreham power plant site.

In contrast, a proposed solar farm in Springs would be built on a former brush dump [“Solar farm plan revived for ex-dump,” News, March 8]. This plan doesn’t include sacrificing trees.

Trees help clean the air we breathe. They are our allies in the fight against the degrading of our environment. We must have trees and clean energy!

Joe Tonini, Mineola