Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media a group of 25 landowners has taken legal action against the town of Coxsackie, arguing that its law barring development of solar energy farms is illegal. The Friends of Flint Mine Solar group includes Giuseppina Agovino, Luciano Agovino, Eric Meier, Diane Oringer, Franker Oringer and Mary Lou Zimmerman. The case was filed in state Supreme Court on March 11, and names the town of Coxsackie and Town Supervisor Richard Hanse as defendants. The 100-megawatt solar farm proposed by Hudson Energy Development will provide struggling farmers with an opportunity, Friends of Flint Mine Solar president Giuseppina Agovino said. The company offered the community $500,000 a year for the life of the project, Agovino said. “It is unfair to pass a law stopping farmers from making a living on their land,” Agovino said. Coxsackie’s Local Law No. 2 regulates the placement, design, construction and operation of solar-energy systems and is intended to ensure there will be no significant impacts on the environment or the town’s aesthetic qualities and character. Hanse declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. Saving Greene, a group that strongly opposes the multiple solar projects proposed for the area, also declined to comment on the lawsuit. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.