CONCORD, Mass. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District will hold a public meeting on May 23, 2017 in East Sandwich on its proposal to lease up to approximately 6 acres of Federal, government-owned property in Bourne, Mass., to a private sector entity for the development, operation and maintenance of a solar photovoltaic (PV) System. The energy produced by the solar PV system would provide the Cape Cod Canal Field Office and the New Bedford Hurricane Protection Barrier a reliable source of renewable energy. The public notice, with more specifics on the proposal and a map of the proposed site, can be viewed on the Corps website at http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Public-Notices/.
A public informational meeting on the proposed project will be held on Tuesday, May 23, 2017 in the Oak Ridge School located at 260 Quaker Meeting Road in East Sandwich, Mass. Registration will open at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting will start at 6 p.m. The public can submit comments on the proposed plan for the solar PV system at the meeting or send comments to the Corps of Engineers by May 31, 2017.
The purpose of the solar project is to provide the Cape Cod Canal (and its associated infrastructure) and the New Bedford Hurricane Barrier (NBHB) with a secure and reliable renewable energy source. Both the Canal and NBHB are currently supplied with electricity from private sources. It is projected that the solar project will save the government about $180,000 annually after implementation. Currently no percentage of electrical power purchased by the Corps for the Canal or the NBHB comes from renewable energy sources.
In the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress mandated that the Federal Government acquire 25 percent of its energy through renewable sources by 2025. In response to this mandate, the Secretary of the Army established in September 2011 the Army Energy Initiative Task Force (now named Office of Energy Initiatives). The OEI’s goal is to implement cost-effective, large-scale renewable energy projects, 10 megawatts or greater at U.S. Army installations. The Corps identified two potential parcels of land along the Cape Cod Canal known as “Sagamore” and “Midway” sites that met the technical requirements for a solar PV system. These two parcels are Corps-owned properties. After preliminary investigations, the Midway site was selected for the solar project. The draft Environmental Assessment and other documents are available for review at: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/M/issions/ProjectsTopics/cccppa/.
Public comments on this proposal to build a solar PV system in Bourne should be forwarded no later than May 31, 2017 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Programs/Project Management Division (ATTN: Erika Mark), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Project Manager Erika Mark at 978-318-8250 or by email to CCC.PPA@usace.army.mil.