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 (1st
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:
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):
Here is the Riverside Press-Enterprise
article:
And here is a website that summarizes
the issue in legal terms:
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:
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:
San Bernardino Sun
Newspaper
Hi Desert Star
Newspaper
https://hidesertstar-dot-com.bloxcms.com/site/forms/subscription_services/letter/
https://hidesertstar-dot-com.bloxcms.com/site/forms/subscription_services/letter/
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
Supervisor
Ovitthttp://www.sbcounty.gov/BOSD4/contact/Email.aspx
Thanks for whatever you can
do.
