Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Windham town officials have chosen to place a six-month moratorium on commercial solar and wind projects as they work to craft legislation for renewable energy farms. The moratorium is focused exclusively on commercial solar and wind projects, not residential solar panels on residents’ homes. The Windham Town Board December 9, unanimously approved a local law establishing the moratorium. The ban will remain in effect through June 30. “We have no guidelines currently,” Windham Town Supervisor Thomas Hoyt said following the meeting. “With this renewable energy push, I want to be prepared. So if somebody comes with a project for our town, we have the right guidance to say it’s got to have setbacks and there’s a plan to decommission it. All of that good stuff that has to be in a solar law.” Hoyt noted that no company has approached Windham about creating a large-scale solar or wind farm, but the town wants to make sure it has legislation in place if such a project emerges. Greene County Legislator Larry Gardner said. “...[W[e’re pausing the process for anyone that wants to come in and do this.” The local law states that Windham “desires to adopt regulations that govern commercial solar-fueled electric generating facilities and commercial wind-fueled electric generating facilities.” At the public hearing on the moratorium last week, no one spoke for or against the local law. Gardner said, “This is for huge projects where people want to buy five acres and put down four acres of solar panels. There are no renewable energy facilities in the town currently, but the town wants to have guidelines in place if an energy company arrives to pitch one." Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.