“I’m Right On Top Of That, Rose!”
Raise your hand if you think you’re well-informed about the various development projects slated to be constructed in California’s deserts in the next 5 to 10 years? Ok, hands down. Now, raise your hand if you think you grasp the extent (i.e., scope and magnitude) of the desert development scheduled for the next decade.
What if you’re wrong?
Today’s post consists of a fairly robust (but by no means exhaustive) list of California Desert Region projects, plans, and programs that have been approved or are being considered for approval by agencies at the local, state, and/or federal level. Included in the discussion for each listing is an estimate of the scope/magnitude/extent of the proposed development, and, for the active projects, the latest status, how you can get involved, and who to contact for more information. Though I’ll largely be focused on the Dollar General and JT Casino projects from this point forward (though I reserve the right to deviate from your regularly scheduled program every now and again), I encourage you to get involved and stay involved in the local and regional decisionmaking processes. Read the public documents, write thoughtful comment letters, and attend the public meetings and hearings. One of the primary objectives of CEQA and NEPA is to inform the public and involve the community in local decisionmaking; thus, the way to ymake your voice heard, get your needs met, and ensure that your conditions of approval are incorporated into the project design, is to participate in the process.
Put another way, I know for a fact that most decisionmakers interpret public silence as agreement; if you object, but fail to speak up, you are complicit.
What’s Going On In The California Desert
Local and Regional Projects / Plans
Town of Yucca Valley: The Town of Yucca Valley is going to update their General Plan (estimated to be complete in 2013), a key feature of which will be the proposed alternatives for circulating traffic through the Old Town planning area. Community workshops will be held during the General Plan Update process to solicit input from community members and capture the community’s vision(s) of what Yucca Valley should become in 20 to 30 years. Community input will shape the vision and goals of the General Plan, which, in turn, will shape the future of the community. Sign up to stay informed, receive upcoming General Plan announcements, events and opportunities to get involved. Fore more information, contact the Community Development Department at: (760) 369-6575.
Dollar General – Yucca Valley Store Location: In August, the Yucca Valley Planning Commission approved construction of a 12,500-square-foot Dollar General store on a vacant 1.3-acre lot on Twentynine Palms Highway at Hopi Trail. There was no public comment on the proposal or the site plan and California Environmental Quality Act documentation (an initial study checklist) during the meeting. The CEQA Initial Study Checklist submitted by Dollar General is among the worst I’ve seen during my career, with blatantly false responses to the checklist questions, and what is known in the industry as a “naked checklist” in which few – if any – of the questions are elaborated on to justify the response, and there are few – if any – of the standard mitigation measures designed to limit construction and operations impacts. For shame, Yucca Valley. For shame.
South Side Neighborhood Community Park: Yucca Valley is proposing to develop a phased, multi-purpose neighborhood/ community park on 37.75 acres located at the northwest corner of Joshua Lane and Warren Vista Avenue over “multiple years.” South Side Park would include approximately 10 acres of multi-use athletic fields; 3 acres of playground and picnic areas, including tot lots; informal open space; a splash pad/water play improvements; an approximate 1.5 acre dog park; restroom and concession buildings; approximately 2 acres of vehicle parking; an approximate 1 acre native plant garden; sand volleyball courts; an approximately 5,000 square foot maintenance building; a frisbee golf course; walking and exercise trails; a minimum 2-acre undisturbed area; and ancillary park improvements including field lighting; parking lot lighting; access and maintenance roads; hardscape and sidewalk improvements; picnic and shade shelters; barbecues; horseshoe and shuffleboard areas; jogging and exercise courses and related improvements. An Initial Study supporting a Mitigated Negative Declaration has been released for public review and will be available for review until January 23, 2012. The project will be considered for approval at the Planning Commission Hearing on January 24, 2012, at 6 pm. For more information, contact Robert Kirschmann, Associate Planner, at (760) 369-6575 x328.
Residential Projects in Yucca Valley: Numerous private residential development projects that have been approved in the last 10 years are listed on Yucca Valley’s website, along with copies of tentative tract maps. Additional review may be necessary in the event that one or more of the older projects moves forward, as existing conditions have changed since the projects were approved and the regulatory environment has changed considerably.
City of Twentynine Palms: The City of Twentynine Palms is nearing the completion of their General Plan Update. Several solar projects, including SEPV2 – a 2 MW PV solar facility – and SEPV8 – a 12 MW solar facility – were approved in 2011. Solar projects near the City limits, such as SEPV9 – only 1.5 miles outside the City boundaries – remain in questionable status, though SECP Development Company received a Conditional Use Permit to establish the 100 MW solar PV power generating facility on 560 acres (APN 0592-251-01-0000) after an Initial Study was prepared for the project.
Cadiz Groundwater Project: Forbes dubbed it “the Zombie Water Project” because it was left for dead in 2002, when Metropolitan Water District, the CEQA lead agency, rejected it. A decade later, it rises from the grave. The Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project is located in San Bernardino County between Cadiz and Rice, California. Underlying Cadiz Inc.’s private landholdings just south of the Mojave National Preserve is a natural aquifer system that is roughly equivalent in capacity to Lake Mead, the nation’s largest surface reservoir. The aquifer acts as an underground “lake,” and a good deal of water that reaches the aquifer ends up just below ground surface, where it evaporates. The project would “capture” or “mine” the water “lost” through evaporation and deliver it to water providers in southern California; in addition, the project would establish a groundwater banking project for storing water in the aquifer during wet years. Project opponents have voiced concerns that the project removes more groundwater than it or nature recharges, with detrimental effects on surface springs and ephemeral water in desert lake beds. Others are concerned that lowering groundwater levels will cause dust storms similar to what is occurring at Owens Lake.
The draft environmental impact report was released in December 2011 and will be open for public comment until February 13, 2012. Two comment meetings will be held regarding the scope, content, and analysis in the DEIR: Tuesday, January 24 at 6:00 p.m. at SMWD offices and Wednesday, February 1 at 6:00 p.m. at the Joshua Tree Community Center. Send written comments on the DEIR to Tom Barnes, ESA. For more information, e-mail cadizproject@smwd.com.
Rice Solar Energy Project: Approved by the California Energy Commission in December 2010 and one of nine large-scale solar projects approved by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in December 2011, the Rice Project is a 150 MW Solar Energy Project that will be constructed east of Twentynine Palms and south of Highway 62, on 1,410 acres of “previously disturbed private land” in Riverside County, with 8 miles (154 acres) of transmission lines across public (BLM) lands. The project will utilize a Solar Thermal Power Tower with molten salt storage that can sapture solar energy and deliver power to the grid even after sunset, producing electricity to power 45,000 to 112,500 homes. The project will generate up to 450 jobs during peak construction periods and 50 permanent jobs.
Other Nearby Desert Region Solar Projects: In addition to the Rice Solar Energy Project, the CEC and Department of the Interior approved other large-scale solar projects in 2011, including the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm that will be constructed on 4,165 acres of public (BLM) lands in Riverside County, east of Palm Springs. Desert Sunlight is a 550 MW thin film PV project that will generate electricity to power over 165,000 homes and create 645 total jobs. Abengoa Mojave Solar in San Bernardino County, north of Highway 58 and northwest of Barstow, is a 250 MW parabolic trough project that will be constructed on 1,765 acres of private, previously-disturbed lands (fallow agriculture), with 85 miles of transmission lines, 17 miles of which will cross public (BLM) lands. Abengoa will generate enough electricity to power 75000 to 187,500 homes and will create 830 jobs during construction and 60 permanent jobs. Other large-scale approved projects are located in Imperial County, San Diego County, and Maricopa County (4,000 acres).
A decision on the 2011 Palen Solar Project is still pending by the Department of the Interior. Palen Solar would consist of two identical 250 MW concentrated solar thermal plants. Palen would be constructed 10 miles east of Desert Center along I-10, about halfway between Indio and Blythe in Riverside County, creating up to 1,145 jobs during peak construction. An application has been filed with BLM for a right-of-way (ROW) grant of approximately 5,200 acres.
Of the priority 2012 projects located in California’s Desert Region, the McCoy Solar Energy Project would be located in Riverside County, on about 7,700 acres of BLM land and 470 acres of private lands located about 13 miles northwest of Blythe. A 16 mile generation tie-in line would be needed to tie the project to SoCal Edison’s infrastructure. McCoy would power 225,000 homes and employ 600 workers during peak construction and 13 to 20 during operations. The Desert Harvest Solar Farm would be located 6 miles north of Desert Center in Riverside County, on 1,280 acres of private lands. The 150 MW project would power 45,000 homes and employ up to 300 workers. Calico Solar, a 664 MW project that would be constructed on 4,604 acres of public (BLM) land, would be located in San Bernardino County, 37 miles east of Barstow, just north of I-40. To stay informed, visit http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/energy/fasttrack.html
Regional Multi-state and Federal Plans / Programs
Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) / Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZs): Of the 32 Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZs) identified in California, two are local – the Iron Mountain CREZ (~40,000 acres) and the Twentynine Palms CREZ (~18,256 acres). The Iron Mountain CREZ has an estimated capacity of 4,800 MW solar thermal and 62 MW wind, for a total 4,862 MW, but it ranked 32 of 32 (last) in terms of affordability (average weighted cost per MW). The Twentynine Palms CREZ has an estimated capacity of 1,805 MW solar thermal and ranked 17 of 32 (with 1 being best) in affordability. Currently, there are 6 solar projects or proposals in the Twentynine Palms CREZ (SEPV2, SEPV8, SEPV9, 29 Palms PV, Wonder Valley PV, and Cascade Solar – some of which are described above) and one in the Iron Mountain CREZ.
BLM’s Solar Energy Development Program: BLM prepared a Draft Solar PEIS that evaluates utility-scale solar energy development in six southwestern states, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. A subset of the lands that would be available for ROW application under the Solar Energy Development Program Alternative would be identified as SEZs (i.e., areas with few impediments to utility-scale production of solar energy where the BLM would prioritize solar energy and associated transmission infrastructure development). The Riverside East Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) is still under consideration (October 2011 Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS) along the I-10 near Desert Center, between Blythe and Indio, though 43,439 acres were eliminated from the NW portion of the SEZ and 11,547 acres identified as non-development areas to minimize environmental impacts. The Iron Mountain SEZ, proposed near Rice, California, was eliminated from further consideration. The public comment period for the Supplement to the Draft Solar Programmatic EIS (Draft Solar PEIS) began on October 28, 2011 and will close on January 27, 2012. Responses to comments received on the Supplement to the Draft Solar PEIS, as well as to comments received on the Draft Solar PEIS, will be included in the Final PEIS. Five public meetingswere held during this period. Transcripts and materials from the meetings will be made available through the Solar PEIS website soon after the meetings are completed.
Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (RECP): The DRECP will facilitate and streamline the approval and permitting of renewable energy projects in the Desert Region and serve as the basis for one or more Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) under the Federal Endangered Species Act (FESA). Projects will include large-scale solar thermal, solar PV, wind, and associated infrastructure / transmission. Covered species include Mojave monkeyflower, Arroyo toad, desert tortoise, burrowing owl, Swainson’s hawk, Mojave ground squirrel, and bighorn sheep. Agencies intend to complete the DRECP by June 1, 2012.
California Desert Protection Act of 2011 (CDPA) (S.138): Introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in January 2011, the CDPA would preserve approximately 1.6 million acres of public lands, create two new National Monuments, expand Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks and the Mojave National Preserve, and establish new wilderness areas and wild and scenic river segments throughout Southern California. The bill would also preserve historic trails, Native American cultural areas, and portions of Old US 66. The CDPA of 2011 would create the e 941,000-acre Mojave Trails National Monument and the Sand to Snow National Monument, which includes the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, a local area with outstanding biodiversity and recreational opportunities. Big Morongo Canyon Preserve has been designated as a National Watchable Wildlife Site and is a world-class bird-watching destination due to the impressive diversity (almost 250 species) of both migratory and resident birds. The Canyon’s year-round stream flow is a critical water source for many of the desert bighorn sheep whose home range includes Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park.
On January 31, 2012, there will be a Community Meeting to update residents about the CDPA and the Sand to Snow National Monument. The meeting will be held at Morongo Valley Elementary School, 10951 Hess Blvd, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. For more information, visit Morongo Valley News.
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Whew! wish I could say that that was all that is going on in the desert, but of course I’ve left out the two projects that most interest the community of Joshua Tree. Tune in next time for the lo-down on the lo-dez tribe behind the Casino proposal, and check back tomorrow for some late-breaking updates on Dollar General and their ongoing plot to take over the world, one piece of crap Chinese export at a time…..
Joshua Tree Barnstormer 