Rows of solar panels charge in a field outside Germantown on Nov. 16, 2025.
Rows of solar panels charge in a field outside Germantown on Nov. 16, 2025.
LAVALE — Many local folks said they support solar power, but don’t want to see photovoltaic panels replace picturesque farmland on Cash Valley Road.
They attended a public hearing Thursday to comment on a proposal by Solar Star Allegany South LLC to build a 4.95-megawatt solar generating facility in Allegany County.
According to the application filed in July, the developer proposes to build the project on 22 acres of a 124-acre property located at 11515 Cash Valley Road in Cumberland.
The project will generate energy to be allocated to community solar subscribers within Potomac Edison’s service territory.
The Maryland Public Service Commission delegated Chief Public Utility Law Judge Kristin Case Lawrence to preside over the hearing.
“The public input part of the (Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity) process is a very important part of the process,” she said.
A CPCN gives an applicant authority to construct an energy generating station in Maryland.
Project
The project over its lifetime will connect to Potomac Edison’s distribution line on Cash Valley Road, a representative said.
The project is expected to power roughly 870 homes, save subscribers roughly 10% — totaling more than $3.2 million — in energy bill discounts, and give Allegany County about $2.2 million in tax benefits.
The proposal includes two fenced arrays that abide by 100-foot setbacks from property boundaries, 150 feet from any houses, and a built-in vegetative buffer, the representative said.
Receipt of the CPCN is anticipated by September, followed by application for required county permits.
Construction is expected to start by the end of 2027 and the plant would be operational the following year.
Opposition
The majority of speakers Thursday said the project would damage tourism and ruin the view from the nearby scenic railroad and Great Allegheny Passage trail.
Susan Mallozzi said the project would disrupt “a magical and tranquil area and the views are spectacular because of its unique topography.”
Andrew Martin said he supports solar energy, but opposes the proposed project.
“The scenic railroad has been invested in heavily for years,” he said. “This project is gonna ruin the scenic view of Cash Valley.”
Chelsea Boor, a county commission candidate, said the proposal would effectively remove the site’s farmland for decades.
“We cannot easily reverse that decision,” she said.
Dee Dee Ritchie, a county commission candidate and director of Maryland’s heritage-area program, said she is “totally opposed to putting that solar farm there.”
Allegany County Commissioner Bill Atkinson said the state’s permitting and regulatory process does not provide local governments with adequate authority.
Allegany County commissioners “do not support this solar project in this location,” he said, and asked for the project to be reconsidered and relocated “to a more appropriate site.”
County Commission President Dave Caporale said “removing a green space to put in green energy isn’t always the answer.”
Frostburg resident Kit Pepper Lescallette — who filed a declaration of intent to run this year for county commissioner — said Allegany County’s solar code has not been updated since 2017.
“I can’t hold you responsible for our county dropping the ball,” Lescallette told the judge. “However … I think it would be wrong of you to approve something that our community didn’t have an opportunity to have a say about.”
LaVale Civic Improvement Association President Wayne Foster said the organization “voted wholeheartedly to oppose this project.”
Tri County Council for Western Maryland Executive Director Elizabeth Stahlman said the proposed project is in her backyard.
“We have strip-mined lands in this county … that are zoned ready for this project,” she said, and spoke of various flaws in the solar farm application.
“It is not a sound project and it’s at the expense of taxpayers … there’s a lot to lose and very little to gain.”
Support
According to Department of Natural Resources Power Plant Site Assessor Christopher Aadland, if permitted, the project will contribute to state law that requires by 2030 half of in-state power generation to come from renewable energy and 14.5% from solar generation.
“After review, the secretaries of DNR and (the Maryland Department of the Environment) have recommended to approve this CPCN application,” Aadland said.
Charles Falter said he’s lived in Allegany County for more than 25 years and his home is roughly eight miles from the proposed project.
He said he supports the project because it will create “zero emissions,” make no sound and demand for electricity is rising.
“This project will have no impact whatsoever on the use or enjoyment of the (GAP) trail,” Falter said. “We’ve lost property tax revenue and this is an opportunity to add to that to some extent.”
Robert Talmadge owns the farm where the project would be built.
“One of my interests in buying that farm was to create a renewable piece of property with sustainable electrical needs, water needs and a regenerative permaculture farm,” he said. “Part of my plan was to put solar on my property.”
Talmadge said he notified neighbors of his intentions for the project.
“As far as the bike trail and the photographs, no one has been on my property in three years to take photographs,” he said, “so I don’t really know what they’re talking about.”
Comments
Written comments on the proposal can be sent via the commission’s online portal at: https://psc.maryland.gov/online-services/file-a-public-comment/.
By mail, comments should be addressed to Jamie Bergin, Chief Clerk, Maryland Public Service Commission, William Donald Schaefer Tower, 6 St. Paul St., 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202.
Comments can be sent through June 30 and should reference Case No. 9805.
Teresa McMinn is a reporter for the Cumberland Times-News. She can be reached at 304-639-2371 or tmcminn@times-news.com.
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