Susan Luckie Reilly

Susan Luckie Reilly was a founding Board member of MBCA back in 1969, and a tireless leader for MBCA battles against power companies, toxic dumps and other desert-destroying plans.  She has been a champion of desert and Park protection and an inspiration for folks like us for decades.  Please read and enjoy the recent interview with Susan in the Desert Trail:

http://www.hidesertstar.com/the_desert_trail/news/article_dff230d6-e99e-11e2-ae21-0019bb2963f4.html

MBCA is also nominating Susan for Congressman Paul Cook’s inaugural “Women of Distinction” Award.   Attached to this email is our nominating statement.  There will be a ceremony for this award in Apple Valley at 10 AM on August 23, and we will notify you if Susan is one of those to be honored.

Project Bobcat update

Assembly Bill 1213 is still progressing through the State legislative process.  The revised bill prohibits bobcat trapping on lands around Joshua Tree National Park, and on private property without the owner’s permission.  There are additional limits and qualifications, which you can read on on this site that provides a summary and tracks the history of the bill:

http://www.legtrack.com/bill.html?bill=201320140AB1213

Find more info at the Project Bobcat website.

The next hearing in Sacramento is expected to be around August 12.

MBCA opposes Soda Mountain Solar Project

The MBCA Board of Directors heard a presentation by Seth Shteir of the National Parks Conservation Association last Thursday, and agreed to formally oppose another inappropriately placed solar project, the Soda Mountains Project that borders the Mojave National Preserve.   As you are well aware, MBCA is in favor of renewable energy projects, but not industrial-scale solar projects on lands that host endangered species and unspoiled desert.  Large projects should only be on already-disturbed lands, and rooftop solar and locally distributed generation (DG) are the real way forward.

As David Lamfrom, California Desert Senior Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, wrote in his comments on the DRECP: 

Lands such as those proposed for the Soda Mountains project should not be included within the DRECP because of identified importance to bighorn sheep migration, landscape connectivity, proximity to Mojave National Preserve, and hydrologic connection to MC Spring, a location utilized for the recovery of the listed Mojave Tui-Chub.

Two members of the MBCA Board of Directors, Claudia Sall and Ruth Rieman, are also Board members of the California Desert Coalition, and are meeting with the San Bernardino County Supervisors to educate them about renewable energy issues in the Morongo Basin and the County.  Issues include County input on the DRECP (there will be a meeting in Yucca Valley this fall—date to follow shortly), the County moratorium on energy development in residential neighborhoods, and updating the County General Plan to include appropriate renewable energy language.

Immediate action needed to extend 45-day moratorium on commercial solar in county unincorporated areas

Dear MBCA Members and Supporters:

We are asking our readers to help convince the San Bernardino County Supervisors that they should extend the 45-day moratorium on commercial solar development in County unincorporated areas (which includes Joshua Tree, the Mesa, Flaming Heights, Landers, etc.). We mentioned this issue in our recent news and information email.  We have just learned that we will need a lot of constituents to inform the Supervisors of the need for the extension BEFORE NEXT TUESDAY (July 23).   Letters to the editor, letters to Supervisors, and/or attendance at the next BOS meeting will be very helpful -- more information below.

Our local District 3 Supervisor James Ramos has been very supportive and helpful, and is to be thanked.  Supervisor Lovingood (1^st District) agrees with the need for extension, but we are uncertain about the other 3 Supervisors.

Here is a link to the County document describing the moratorium and actions being taken:

http://www.sbcounty.gov/Uploads/lus/Renewable/SolarMoratoriumReport7172013.pdf

Here is Chris Clarke’s KCET story on the moratorium, which nicely summarizes it (we recommend Chris’s KCET blog for all California energy-related issues):

http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/san-bernardino-county-approves-solar-moratorium.html 

Here is the Riverside Press-Enterprise article:

http://www.pe.com/local-news/san-bernardino-county/san-bernardino-county-headlines-index/20130612-san-bernardino-county-new-solar-projects-temporarily-banned.ece

And here is a website that summarizes the issue in legal terms:

http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/san-bernardino-county-approves-temporary-39481/

The Supervisors meet next Tuesday, June 23, in San Bernardino, at 10:00 AM and this will be on their agenda.  The time is not yet known, but here is the site where the agenda should be posted by Friday:

http://www.sbcounty.gov/main/countydirect.asp

Please send emails to any or all of the following addresses expressing your concern that this issue be taken seriously by the entire Board of Supervisors, and that they need to extend the deadline for addressing solar installations in unincorporated County areas.  Issues include possible development code amendments addressing the permitting process, as well as siting and zoning requirements.

There is a need for research to determine the best way to protect the desert while encouraging renewable energy in the right way and the right places.

If you know folks in the other supervisorial districts, please ask them to contact their Supervisor.  Here’s a link to a list of communities by District:

http://www.sbcounty.gov/Uploads/BOS/bosdistricts/CountyCommunitiesbyDistrict.pdf

San Bernardino Sun Newspaper

Email:  opinions@inlandnewspapers.com

Hi Desert Star Newspaper
https://hidesertstar-dot-com.bloxcms.com/site/forms/subscription_services/letter/

Riverside Press Enterprise newspaper
http://subscribe.pe.com/submit-letter-to-the-editor

Supervisor Ramos

Email:  SupervisorRamos@sbcounty.gov

Supervisor Lovingoodhttp://www.sbcounty.gov/bosd1/contact/email.aspx

Supervisor Gonzaleshttp://www.sbcounty.gov/bosd5/contact/default.aspx

Supervisor Rutherford

Email:  Supervisorrutherford@sbcounty.gov

Supervisor Ovitthttp://www.sbcounty.gov/BOSD4/contact/Email.aspx

Thanks for whatever you can do.