Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 48F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..
Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 48F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Updated: October 15, 2026 @ 6:21 pm
Roughly 100 people were in attendance to hear speakers in opposition to the proposed Shepherd’s Run Solar farm in Copake in January.
Roughly 100 people were in attendance to hear speakers in opposition to the proposed Shepherd’s Run Solar farm in Copake in January.
COPAKE — New York state has again spiked a project that would develop a solar farm in Copake, delivering a win for the town.
The state Office of Renewable Energy Siting denied Wednesday a final permit for Hecate Energy to build the proposed 215-acre, 42-megawatt Shepherd’s Run solar farm.
“We’re very gratified that ORES has denied Hecate’s application,” said Town Supervisor Richard Wolf. “We’ve been saying all along that the proposed site … was too big, and more importantly, was in the wrong location.”
The office’s interim Executive Director Jason Zehr wrote in the permit denial the office did not believe the project would follow the standards of laws and regulations, and does not avoid or minimize its adverse environmental impacts.
“We’re extremely pleased that they really looked at the issues,” said Jean Halloran, of Sensible Solar for Rural New York, a group founded in response to Hecate’s application. “They didn’t sweep things under the rug. … They did their job the way they should do their job.”
The decision is the second time the project has been denied. An initial application was blocked in February 2024, marking the first time the office had denied a project since its 2020 founding.
Hecate did not respond to multiple requests for comment Wednesday.
Zehr’s statement echoes state judges earlier this month, recommending the office deny the permit.
Two state judges, who oversaw a 10-hour hearing in Copake on Sept. 14, Hecate Energy did not prove it is following a state law to protect wetlands and a town law requiring flood impact mitigation.
The town law requires projects in a Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated flood zone to mitigate flood impacts before getting a permit from the town.
The data Hecate submitted did not account for the impact of final grading, new access roads, solar panels and posts, inverters and other above‑ground electrical equipment, the company said at the hearing.
The judges found Hecate substantially understates the precipitation depth associated with 100-year rainfalls in its modeling. The company’s own model showed flooding as high as 7 feet in some parts of the project site in such events.
More than 100 concerned citizens packed into Copake Town Hall for the hearing to listen to a senior engineer at the company.
Many wore pins that read, “Stop Shepherd’s Run;” some have been defying the development since its inception in early 2020. Opponents contested its large footprint and its effect on viewsheds and the environment.
Protesters have received support from the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, as well as elected officials in U.S. Rep. Josh Riley, D-19, state Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-41, and state Assembly Member Didi Barrett, D-106.
“The idea that the overwhelming majority of people in the town were opposed to this and united behind what we were trying to do, and the fact that our town board remained resolute … suggests if there’s a will there’s a way,” Wolf said.
“This has really been a team, a community, a town effort,” he added.
Copake officials came to know Hecate Energy as “bad actors” in its final push for approval, he continued.
The judges ruled Sept. 8 Copake was required full access to the project site to gather evidence before the hearing. Hecate denied town expert, biologist Johanna Duffy, access to the site until Sept. 13.
The company also did not give access to the full site, did not allow Duffy to bring equipment and blocked Duffy from one part of the site.
The wetland data Hecate supplied was collected in 2020, which Copake alleged made the data stale and inaccurate, and ORES at the hearing denied it was its responsibility to request new numbers. The judges agreed with Duffy, who argued that neither ORES nor Hecate fulfilled their responsibilities.
One proposed solar array is completely within a Class 1 wetland, a violation of ORES’s regulations, Hecate conceded at the hearing.
“Hecate’s actions during the adjudicatory phase were not in good faith,” the judges wrote. “Hecate imposed unreasonable conditions on the town’s access.”
Halloran said opponents felt concern and apprehension while waiting for the state’s decision, but they were encouraged by the judges’ reaction.
“It was clear that (state Judge Maureen Leary) was disturbed by certain behaviors on the part of Hecate,” Halloran said. “Judge Leary was, I think, quite annoyed … Hecate’s lack of cooperation on this was not reassuring to her.”
Hecate Energy could come forward with a third application as the decision by the state was made without prejudice, but issues regarding the floodplain and wetlands would need to be addressed.
That process could take years, Halloran said.
Other town concerns were not addressed as a part of the decision, she continued, such as the project’s fire risk or effect on threatened bird species. Halloran said it is up to Hecate Energy to determine if a solar project in Copake is still worth pursuing.
Wolf called the effort to develop Shepherd’s Run as being in the “wrong place at the wrong time.”
“We view this as final. ORES views this as final,” Wolf said. “Whether Hecate does or not remains to be seen.”
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
HV360 headlines to your inbox!
Get the Register Star and Daily Mail E-edition delivered directly to your inbox!
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Account processing issue – the email address may already exist
Must be at least 8 characters, not contain repeating characters (e.g., 111), and not contain sequential numbers (e.g., 123).
Adirondack Daily Enterprise headlines to your inbox!
Get the Adirondack Daily Enterprise E-edition delivered directly to your inbox!
Adirondack Daily Enterprise obituaries. Remembering those we’ve lost.
A weekly roundup of our top stories from The Adirondack Daily Enterprise —delivered every Saturday.
A weekly roundup of local crime news—delivered every Wednesday
Top stories and breaking news, delivered daily at 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Honoring lives in our community—new obits shared daily.
Get the day’s full paper—The Daily Gazette, Amsterdam Recorder & Leader Herald—delivered to your inbox daily by 5 a.m.
Expert race picks delivered daily during the Saratoga track season.
HV360 headlines to your inbox!
Remembering those we’ve lost. Delivered Tuesday through Saturday.
Top local stories delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday.
Leader Herald & Amsterdam Recorder Obituaries. Remembering those we’ve lost. Delivered Monday through Saturday.
Major news, right when it happens—sent straight to your inbox.
Major news, right when it happens—sent straight to your inbox.
Major news, right when it happens—sent straight to your inbox.
Major news, right when it happens—sent straight to your inbox.
Get the Register Star and Daily Mail E-edition delivered directly to your inbox!
New! Spotlight News now has an e-edition.
Have the latest local news delivered every morning so you don’t miss out on updates.
Get The Spot518 e-edition in your email weekly.
The latest Spot518 headlines twice a week.
A weekly roundup of our top stories from The Spot518 —delivered every Saturday.
A weekly roundup of our top stories from across all our publications—delivered every Saturday.
Get Your Niskayuna e-edition in your email weekly.
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Must be at least 8 characters, not contain repeating characters (e.g., 111), and not contain sequential numbers (e.g., 123).
Secure transaction. Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.
