Diane Valden is reporting for The Columbia Paper the town of Copake will receive $21,000 to help pay expenses related to the town’s interests in dealing with Hecate Energy’s proposal to build an industrial-sized 60-megawatt solar facility in Craryville. The Hecate's Shepherd’s Run plan calls for the installation of 200,000 solar panels on 500 acres inside a 900-acre project area. The facility will be located near the county Route 7 and state Route 23 intersection. Most of that land is now used for farming. During the October 8 town board meeting, Deputy Supervisor Richard Wolf reported the presiding administrative law judge ruled the town is eligible to receive the full $21,000 in Intervenor Funds. Hecate has applied for the project under a state Public Service Law Article 10 proceeding instead of going before the town Planning and Zoning boards. Article 10 requires a developer to provide the funds to help interested parties “defray the considerable expenses incurred as they evaluate a developer’s proposal,” Wolf explained. The funds will make it possible for the town to pay for the services of its solar issues attorney and environmental-engineering firms. The funds are available until Hecate files an application for the Shepherd’s Run project with the State Siting Board. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.