Blandford Energy Committee Plans State Hearing Appearance to Challenge Solar Vendor Oversight

BLANDFORD -- December 17, 2025, Blandford energy committee plans February state hearing appearance amid solar oversight concerns. The committee, which met December 17, spent most of its session reviewing a recent three-hour Energy Facilities Siting Board virtual meeting the committee chair attended, during which she said no safety discussion occurred and one board member voted "enthusiastically, yes" on a siting matter. The chair plans to deliver a three-minute public comment at the EFSB's February 2 open session in Boston, with member Corinne also planning to attend in person, focusing on vendor due diligence failures and the burden on small towns lacking technical staff. Members introduced Dave, a retired Raytheon and Hamilton Sundstrand engineer with 37 years of fuel cell and energy systems experience, as a prospective new member. The committee also confirmed the EFSB has scheduled a February 11 site walk at the Eversource substation on North Street, where the Conservation Commission has been invited to attend, and reported that a grant application is in to fund an overlay map identifying acceptable siting areas, with the planning consultant expected to begin work after the holidays.