Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with periods of snow late. Low 11F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..
Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with periods of snow late. Low 11F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
Updated: February 24, 2026 @ 11:15 pm
A picture of flooding in May 2021 off Route 7 between Copake and Craryville, near the site of the proposed Hecate solar farm.
Site of the proposed Shepherd’s Run Solar Project in Copake.
A picture of flooding in May 2021 off Route 7 between Copake and Craryville, near the site of the proposed Hecate solar farm.
COPAKE— The company hoping to build Columbia County’s largest solar farm is looking for an exemption from the town’s flood plain code, according to a petition it filed with the state.
In November, the state Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission granted Illinois-based Hecate Energy a draft permit in November to build the 215-acre, 42-megawatt Shepherd’s Run solar farm and is weighing the approval of a final permit for the project’s construction.
The renewable energy office is also considering Hecate’s Jan. 28 application for exemption from Copake’s flood plain code, its town law regulating construction in flood zones.
In the November draft permit, the state required Hecate to seek a flood plain permit from the town of Copake because it is required by federal regulations and a significant part of the project is within the town’s 100-year flood plain.
Towns are required to have flood regulation laws to qualify for federal flood insurance under the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the federal disaster relief agency. If the renewable energy office rejects Hecate’s application, the company would have to seek approval from the town before beginning construction on the project.
Site of the proposed Shepherd’s Run Solar Project in Copake.
Jean Halloran, a member of the leadership team for Sensible Solar for Rural New York, a group opposed to the project, said Hecate might need to satisfy multiple town concerns before receiving a flood plain permit.
“I’m surely not an expert on the flood plain code,” Halloran said. “The purpose of the code is to prevent any worsening of flood plain problems in an area, both to protect the town and to prevent the federal flood insurance program from becoming more expensive. Things like whether construction could increase erosion, which would make the flood plain worse, could be an issue, as well as alterations to existing water bodies. Looking at the application, it appears that at least one water body could be altered.”
According to the Copake town code, both waterways and erosion concerns are to be taken into consideration by municipal officials when granting a flood plain development permit.
If the renewable energy office approves Hecate’s request, the town could risk losing its place in the National Flood Insurance Program, which offers affordable, federally backed flood insurance rates to homes and businesses in municipalities where flood protection standards are followed and enforced, Copake Town Supervisor Richard Wolf said.
“If their requests were granted, and if somehow ORES decided to override our flood plain code, it would certainly risk the loss of flood plain insurance for the town,” Wolf said. “It’s a requirement of the federal program that you have a flood plain code and that’s enforced and in existence, and that would knock it out.”
Ensuring the town remains protected under the National Flood Insurance Program is essential, Wolf said, citing that large parts of the town and the footprint of the solar farm are within the flood plain.
Sensible Solar is concerned that approval of Hecate’s application would jeopardize Copake’s inclusion in the National Flood Insurance Program and the ability for homes and businesses to get flood insurance from anywhere, Halloran said.
“This (flood plain) code is federally mandated if you want to be part of the National Flood Insurance Program,” Halloran said. “Copake opted into that program in 1987, and you know it’s almost impossible to get flood insurance unless you’re part of the National Flood Insurance Program.”
The proposed area of the project, especially along county Route 7, has flooded in the past, making Copake’s inclusion into the program necessary, Halloran said. Sensible Solar sees this as one more box Hecate is trying to avoid having to check, she said.
“Hecate certainly should be evaluated under that code, and it should have to get a permit,” she said. “It’s one more thing they would have to do before they could start work on their project. And so, they, understandably I suppose, don’t want to have to jump through another hoop on this.”
Hecate did not respond to multiple requests for comment Tuesday.
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