of Southeastern Massachusetts
Community Land & Water Campaign
Update! Victory for community campaign to “Pull the Poles”
PineGate to replace arsenic poles at $53 million “dual use” solar project on cranberry bogs in Carver MA
On November 17, 2021, the North Carolina based solar company announced it will replace about 3,500 arsenic-laced wood poles it put in groundwater and cranberry bogs to mount “green” solar panels. A third project is reportedly on hold. Local residents and activists exposed the absurdity and dangerousness of this project, leaving the company with no choice. Many questions remain but for now this is a huge victory for the grassroots campaign, Pull the Poles pullthepoles.org
CHECKOUT our Nov. 17, 2021 Newsletter for the full story and more.
WAREHAM, MA: The fight to stop the ConEd 44 acre ground mounted solar project on the iconic, historic Fearing Hill continues. This poorly sited project abuts homes, will contribute to flooding and destroy an ancient Pine Barrens forest.
MassWildlife, Carver Earth Removal Committee, Zoning Inspector Refuse to Enforce Laws to Protect Environment from AD Makepeace Strip Mining
On August 9, a Ten Residents Group delivered notices of intent to sue to the Massachusetts Attorney General, Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) and the Town of Carver if the regulators continue to fail to enforce environmental laws.
On August 16, 2021, Save the Pine Barrens filed a complaint with the Carver Zoning Board of Appeals seeking a hearing on violations of the Town’s zoning laws by AD Makepeace. This appeal seeks a hearing before the ZBA.
The legal steps on August 9 and 16 follow efforts that started in April 2021 by local activists seeking to stop the massive industrial strip mining operations underway in Carver and Plymouth.
On April 6, 2021, Save the Pine Barrens, a non profit group first requested enforcement of the laws and explanations about the forest clear-cuts, strip mining and solar projects in Carver.
On May 13, 2021 activists sent another letter to the Town.
On June 1, 2021, the obvious conflict of interest that the majority of the Earth Removal Committee members have in regulating AD Makepeace was outline in a letter to the Committee. Two of the members do business with Makepeace and three of them are in the cranberry business. One member, Richard Ward, is so intertwined with the cranberry industry in the region that when running for selectmen, his opponend referred to him as part of the “Cranberry Cosa Nostra.”
https://carver.wickedlocal.com/article/20130425/news/304259578
Here’s a quote by Ward being interviewed during the race: “Issue 3: Sustainable agricultural tax base. Our main industry is cranberries. My opponent has called the cranberry industry, of which I am a part, the “Cranberry Cosa Nostra.” Instead of calling our main industry the mafia, shouldn’t we be trying to encourage this industry to be sustainable? It’s our primary tax base! The industry helps support us and our tax base, so I’m an advocate of working with this industry.”
Additional letters with more information about violations were sent to Carver on June 14 and June 29, 2021.
On July 28, 2021 a letter was sent to Wareham and Carver about the danger to public safety from the excessive truck traffic coming from AD Makepeace sand and gravel removal operations in Carver.
The public’s request have been ignored. Carver has not responded to any of these, other than via June 1, 2021 letter from their lawyer to say there are no violations. This is obviously not true.
The laws are obviously being broken. Our state and local regulators refuse to act. The public therefore has the right to seek to enforce the laws to protect the environment. If state and local regulators don’t act within 20 days of August 9, 2021, the Ten Residents Group can bring a lawsuit to enforce the laws.
We have lost so much – and that is why it is so important protect what is left.
Save the Pine Barrens 