San Diego wind ordinance

LAWSUIT AGAINST SAN DIEGO SUPERVISORS OVER WIND ORDINANCE SET FOR COURT HEARING APRIL 25

 

By Miriam Raftery

April 23, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – A lawsuit filed against San Diego Supervisors asks the court to set aside the County’s new wind energy ordinance and an amendment to Boulevard’s community plan.  The case will be heard on Friday, April 25 at 1:30 p.m. in Superior Court, Department C-72, with Judge Timothy Taylor presiding. The courthouse is located at 220 West Broadway, San Diego.

The suit was filed by two community groups-- the Protect Our Communities Foundation, Backcountry Against Dumps-- and  by Donna Tisdale, chair of the Boulevard Planning Group. Plaintiffs seek to half industrial wind development in their backcountry community. They contend that such projects pose serious impacts to wildlife, water resources, human health and safety that the Board ignored.


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ECM EDITOR INTERVIEWED BY KPBS ON COUNTY WIND ISSUES

August 13, 2012 (San Diego) - East County Magazine editor Miriam Raftery was interviewed last week by KPBS radio regarding the County Supervisors' impending vote on Tule Wind and related issues. 

Listen to that interview here: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2012/aug/08/tule-wind-project-key-vote/.  Hear a followup story on the vote approving the controversial project here: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2012/aug/09/tule-wind-project-gets-green-light/.


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COUNTY PLANNERS APPROVE WIND ORDINANCE, OPEN GATES WIDE FOR INDUSTRIALIZATION OF EAST COUNTY

 

Decision allows industrial-scale wind development across East County and northeast region, including San Diego's scenic mountain, desert and rural areas

By Miriam Raftery

"This is absolutely unneeded and ill advised."--Commissioner Peder Norby

July 23, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – By a 4-2 vote, San Diego County’s Planning Commission voted Friday to approve a controversial County Wind Energy Ordinance, an amendment to the Boulevard General Plan enabling approval for industrial scale wind turbine projects across vast areas in local mountain, rural and desert areas.  Also approved was an amendment to the Borrego Springs Community Plan to increase flexibility for small turbine projects.   

Communities targeted as prime industrial-scale wind resource areas include Santa Ysabel near Julian, Ranchita, Ocotillo Wells, Boulevard, Campo and Jacumba and other areas under County jurisdiction, as well as many federal recreational and U.S. forest lands as wlell as tribal properties.


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HEALTH DEPT. REPORT ON WIND TURBINES DRAWS CRITICISM; COUNTY PLANNERS TO VOTE ON WIND ENERGY ORDINANCE JULY 20

By Miriam Raftery

July 19, 2012 (San Diego) – Tomorrow at 9 a.m.,  San Diego County's Planning Commission will decide whether to approve a wind ordinance that would enable construction of numerous wind energy projects in our region's mountains, rural and desert communities.

Why, then, did San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency just issue a public health position statement that amounts to a whitewash of serious health problems linked to wind turbines around the world?


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TULE WIND, MORE BACKCOUNTRY ISSUES ON AGENDA FOR COUNTY PLANNING COMMISION FRIDAY MAY 18

May 17, 2012 (San Diego) -- San Diego County's Planning Commission will consider several major issues on its Friday agenda, including the Tule Wind Energy major use permit for McCain Valley, as well as the related General Plan Amendment and Zoning Reclassification for the Mountain Empire and Boulevard subregional plan areas.

Planners will also hear staff responses to concerns raised by planners in last week's Wind Energy Ordinance Amendments workshop. The meeting beginas at 9 a.m. at 5201 Ruffing Rd., Suite B in San Diego.


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COUNTY WORKSHOP ON WIND ENERGY ORDINANCE SET FOR MAY 11: PLANNERS TO HEAR EXPERT SPEAKERS

By Miriam Raftery

“Our rural East County communities are facing industrial transformation with the potential for hundreds of towering and churning industrial wind turbines surrounding, and looming over, virtually all of our residential neighborhoods and along most of our ruggedly beautiful ridgelines.” – Donna Tisdale, Protect Our Communities Foundation

View a map of industrial-scale renewable energy projects proposed for East County, including many at formerly protected Cleveland National Forest and Bureau of Land Management public lands.

May 9, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)—The County's Wind Energy Ordinance & Plan Amendment Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) will be reviewed at a special San Diego County Planning Commission Workshop at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 11 at 5201 Ruffin Rd., Suite B. The workshop is a response to Commissioners' request for more information after evidence presented at an April 13 hearing indicated that wind turbines can result in negative health impacts from audible and sub audible noise, vibrations, and dirty electricity/stray voltage.


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WINDS OF CHANGE: COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION TO CONSIDER WIND ORDINANCE APRIL 13


 

“We are requesting a moratorium on industrial wind turbine projects and initiation of unbiased, science-based peer-reviewed studies on health…They are subjecting rural residents to be guinea pigs or lab rats on a mass scale that has never been seen anywhere.” –Donna Tisdale, Boulevard Planning Group Chair

 

“Tapping into sources of renewable energy is critical for a number of reasons…We applaud the County’s commitment to achieving these goals by updating and streamling requirements for small and large wind energy systems.” – Jennifer Purczynski Enel Green Power/Padoma Wind Power LLC

By Miriam Raftery

April 12, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Tomorrow (Friday) morning at 9 a.m., the San Diego County Planning Commission will consider a proposed wind ordinance that would make it easier for industrial-scale wind facilities as well as smaller turbines to be built in unincorporated areas—primarily in East County communities. 


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CHANGES ARE IN THE WIND

 

December 23 deadline for public comment on County's proposed wind ordinance


By Caleb Trainer

December 12, 2011 (San Diego’s East County)--The eastern portions of San Diego County have become areas for increased interest in wind energy production. In response, County officials are proposing changes to current regulations that, in effect, will make it easier for wind energy development—including both wind farms with large-scale turbines and smaller scale residential windmills.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.