Ocotillo Wind Energy

FINAL EIR ISSUED FOR SDG&E'S PROPOSED OCOTILLO SOL SOLAR PROJECT

 
 
August 3, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego Gas & Electric’s Ocotillo Sol Solar Project Final Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed California Desert Conservation Area Plan Amendment were published last week in the federal register. See notice http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-07-26/html/2013-17870.htm and links to full documents here: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcentro/nepa/ocotillosol.html. The project follows on the heels of a controversial Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility recently built that has raised many serious environmental, tribal and community concerns. An earlier desert solar project proposed for Ocotillo was blocked by a tribal lawsuit, as ECM previously reported: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/4801


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READER'S EDITORIAL: WHY ISN'T OUR GOVERNMENT PROTECTING US FROM DUST AT OCOTILLO WIND SITE?

By Jim Pelley

Editor’s note: For months,  ECM award-winning photographer and Ocotillo resident Jim Pelley has been documenting clouds of choking dust at  Pattern Energy’s construction site for Ocotillo Express wind energy, where citizen monitors have routinely reported construction without water trucks present and twice resulted in fines on the developer for dust violations.  In this editorial, Pelley asks why the problem continues, raising serious questions for public officials who are supposed to protect public health.  The closest turbine is just 1500 feet from Pelley’s home.

October 9, 2012 --I have been told that they can make dust on this project site as long it is not over 20% opacity for three minutes. If there are a hundred trucks making 15% opacity dust all long day long I don’t understand why this is acceptable, because at the end of the day there are large amounts of dust in the air, it’s very easy to see.


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SDG&E AND PATTERN ENERGY SIGN CONTRACT FOR 315 MEGAWATTS FROM NEW WIND ENERGY FACILITY


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