Country star John Rich slams Hochuls renewable energy agenda, defends NY farmers: Takes away our voice
John Rich is blasting New York Gov.Kathy Hochul over the state’s renewable energy policies, accusing her administration of silencing farmers and overriding local officials in upstate New York.The 52-year-old Big & Rich member has publicly joined local landowners, activists and officials who are challenging New York’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES), a state agency that reviews and permits major renewable energy and transmission projects.Last month, Rich released his new country song “Dear Kathy,” which is directed at the Democratic governor, who is running for re-election.
In the song, Rich speaks on behalf of farmers and landowners who are protesting large-scale solar and wind projects on upstate New York farmland, arguing that ORES has undermined local control and put family farms, rural communities and private property rights at risk.During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Rich shared his message for Hochul, pointing to the final line of “Dear Kathy,” which asks, “Why do you hate these people so much?”“What have they ever done to you except pay taxes and put food on your table? That’s it,” Rich said.“Why do you hate these people?” he continued.“Because only somebody that has a vindictive spirit would do what she’s doing to them — or greed.”“I think greed is probably the largest driver in it because these companies that are coming in, building these huge fields.
Listen, if you add up all the plans they have coming into upstate New York, it’s over 100 square miles of solar panels,” Rich added.The conflict centers on New York’s centralized permitting system for large-scale solar and wind projects.Created in 2020 under former Gov.
Andrew Cuomo, ORES generally handles renewable energy projects capable of producing 25 megawatts or more.Its rules encourage developers to avoid the state’s most productive agricultural soils and require them to minimize or mitigate impacts when farmland cannot be avoided...