In re Petition of Apple Hill Solar LLC

The Vermont Supreme Court reversed and remanded the Vermont Public Utility Commission’s (PUC’s) denial of a certificate of public good for construction of a 2.0 megawatt solar facility in the Town of Bennington. The court rejected “significant portions” of the PUC’s rationale for denial—including the PUC’s conclusions that the project would violate “clear community standards”—but rejected the argument that Vermont law required the PUC to balance beneficial greenhouse gas impacts against other factors in the analysis of aesthetic effects.