Residents press Buckingham supervisors over Riverstone Solar construction and inspections

Residents urged the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors to pause construction at the Riverstone Solar site and to require stronger protections after state inspectors found repeated erosion and stabilization problems.

Ruth Olinger Aldridge, who said the project is almost in her backyard, told the board "Approximately 85 acres have already been cleared, grubbed, and graded" and said Virginia DEQ inspected the site three times this year with findings that required corrective action. She contrasted those findings with reports from a county‑commissioned independent inspector that she said did not require corrective action and asked the board why the two assessments drew different conclusions.

At the start of public comment, Johnny Doria said he had pressed the board for nearly a year about an extension request for SUP299 (Riverstone) and that the county had not acknowledged that application: "So why is it that no 1 will address this issue that I brought up?" Doria warned that, "Condition 4 states, if there is no extension granted, the SUP is null and void," and said that without an extension and protective contract conditions taxpayers faced risk from lack of dismantling or cleanup requirements.

County staff responded that the county attorney had advised staff the board would not need to take action on the matter. A county official told the meeting, "our county attorney advised us that we would not need to take action," and added that staff would follow that legal advice. Supervisors asked staff to provide additional documentation and the public commenter said he would not give up pursuing the question.

Why it matters: residents and environmental advocates said unchecked erosion from large‑scale clearing could send sediment into local streams that feed the James River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. Residents also cited a recent Virginia Tech study they said shows utility‑scale solar projects can increase stormwater runoff during construction, underscoring their call for stronger oversight. The board did not take formal action on the Riverstone permits during the meeting; staff said they would provide information as requested.