Planning Board Votes to Ask DEP to Probe Solar Fire
Shutesbury's Planning Board voted to ask the Select Board to request a state probe into an unreported April inverter fire at the Wheelock solar site.
Planning Board · Meeting of October 5, 2026
Shutesbury's Planning Board voted to ask the Select Board to request a state probe into an unreported April inverter fire at the Wheelock solar site. Neighbors Robert Kibler and Miriam Defant told the board the operator never reported the fire to MassDEP or tested for contamination, with Defant warning the board "should not base its future oversight on cooperation and trust alone." The board voted 6-0 to recommend the DEP request and will seek a written report and a November presentation from the operator, identified as NextEra. Separately, the board adopted a new fee schedule for small clean energy projects: a $5,000 filing fee (5-1) and a $15,000 application fee (5-0, one abstention), replacing a $20,000 refundable fee Town Counsel Donna said was legally improper.
The board also unanimously endorsed a Jones family subdivision plan on 7.0 Drive.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,798 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of October 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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