Residents urge enforcement, stop-work order over alleged Riverstone Solar permit violations
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Summary
Multiple Buckingham County residents told the Board of Supervisors that Riverstone Solar is violating its special-use permit—removing required vegetative buffers, failing to install mandated wash stations and using roads the permit restricts—and asked the board to issue immediate enforcement actions including a stop-work order.
Multiple Buckingham County residents told the Board of Supervisors that Riverstone Solar (Apex/Riverstone) is violating conditions of its special-use permit and urged immediate enforcement, including a stop-work order.
At the meeting, Jenny Pickens (District 6) said she and other neighbors documented missing wash stations at project entrances, removal of mature vegetative buffers required by permit condition 13, and construction traffic on prohibited routes. "This board and our community relied on these specific assurances," Pickens said, describing the buffers as necessary to protect water quality near the James River.
Ruth Aldridge (District 6) told the board the 2,000-acre project sits less than a quarter-mile from the James River and that streams and wetlands on the site flow into the river. She said condition 12 and condition 13 of the SUP require a 50-foot setback and preservation of at least 50 feet of existing vegetation and timber. "Once these mature buffers are destroyed, they cannot be restored," Aldridge said.
Brad Pickens detailed repeated vehicle use of roads that the SUP restricts and said some entrances lack the required wash stations. He reported observing a 60,000-pound triple-axle tractor-trailer cross a 12-ton bridge after a supplemental meeting, which he said risked structural damage. "They promised traffic management and wash stations; they have not delivered," he said.
Several speakers framed alleged failures as both public-safety and environmental concerns and said county staff reports omitted or downplayed documented violations. Kent Hahnemann (District 5) said the board approved the SUP in reliance on formal commitments from Riverstone and demanded enforcement: "Issue a stop-work order until compliance is achieved. Issue notices of violation. Require corrected plans, install wash stations, enforce road restrictions."
Board members and the chair discussed next steps during the business portion. County staff and board members said they would contact Riverstone representatives (including Jimmy Merrick, identified in public comments as a Riverstone representative) and request immediate installation of wash stations and traffic control measures. The chair proposed a short compliance deadline; a board member recommended seven working days for installation. The board did not issue a stop-work order at the meeting but agreed to pursue compliance and warned that failure to comply could lead to permit revocation at a later date.
The public record at the meeting includes photographic and written documentation submitted by residents alleging failures on (at least) these items from the SUP: required wash stations (condition 21b), 50-foot vegetative buffers and setbacks (conditions 12 and 13), and a traffic/route restriction (condition 28). Residents requested that the board act to protect downstream water quality in the James River watershed and public safety on county roads.
No formal enforcement action (notice of violation or stop-work order) was voted at the meeting; the board directed staff to contact Riverstone, verify compliance, and report back. If Riverstone does not meet the requested timeline, board members said they may pursue formal enforcement at a subsequent meeting.
