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10 <br /> 1 ➢ Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity review process has been completed by <br /> 2 State and Federal agencies and CPCN approved for the project <br /> 3 ➢ Phase I environmental assessment has been completed with no findings <br /> 4 ➢ Project does not use any groundwater or have any impact on groundwater or water table <br /> 5 <br /> 6 Commissioner Price: With regard to the environment, I know it says —well, the Wildlife <br /> 7 Resources Commission had recommend native species and all — and also, so my question is <br /> 8 will you be using native species as they recommend? And also pesticide usage to maintain <br /> 9 growth in weeds. Do you have a low pesticide maintenance plan? <br /> 10 <br /> 11 Brian Quinlan: We will not use pesticides. We don't use pesticides. <br /> 12 <br /> 13 Commissioner Price: Thank you. <br /> 14 <br /> 15 Brian Quinlan: We will remove the trees. There are small trees and shrubs in the vicinity of <br /> 16 the leased area itself. The balance of the trees on the outside perimeter, we will not touch. And <br /> 17 then for landscaping maintenance I would say we generally will have guys come in spring <br /> 18 through fall, on a regular basis, kind of a rotating basis because it's pretty large facility to keep <br /> 19 the weeds below the bottom level of the panels. And they'll just use mowers, and essentially, <br /> 20 weed whackers to do that. <br /> 21 <br /> 22 Brian Quinlan: When we decommission it? We won't plant—we will do the landscape buffer, <br /> 23 we'll plant indigenous species that are required to meet the buffer standards. And then in the <br /> 24 decommissioning, we'll come in, we'll pull everything out, and then we will reseed with, you <br /> 25 know, local seed as well. <br /> 26 <br /> 27 Commissioner Price: I was thinking mostly with the landscaping while it is in operation. This <br /> 28 also gets to maintenance. I know I might sound like I'm going off track, and I know our attorney <br /> 29 might reel me in, but who is the actual owner of the public utility that is going to be using this <br /> 30 power? And it gets more to who's going to be responsible for maintaining this site? Is it who <br /> 31 you're selling the energy? <br /> 32 <br /> 33 Brian Quinlan: I guess there are two components to that. So the actual solar panels <br /> 34 themselves, up to the transformer, will be owned by up to the inverter will be owned by us, <br /> 35 basically. Then it transitions the ownership —the transformer will be installed by the utility— by <br /> 36 Duke. And then from that point on —which basically then hooks into their distribution line — <br /> 37 that's all their responsibility. So downstream is us, upstream is them. <br /> 38 <br /> 39 Commissioner Price: Thank you. <br /> 40 <br /> 41 Commissioner Jacobs: And who is responsible for cleaning up the abandoned barrels, and <br /> 42 things like that, that are on the site? Is that part of your due diligence, or is that outside the <br /> 43 scope? <br /> 44 <br /> 45 Brian Quinlan: What abandoned barrels? <br /> 46 <br /> 47 Commissioner Jacobs: Did I not see photographs? <br /> 48 <br /> 49 Chair McKee: There were some photographs and some documents we have, of some trash <br /> 50 and barrels, I think was on the property. <br /> 51 <br />