Stephanie D. Michael-Martinez / The SWC Sun
Out-of-service train tracks trail up to working windmills on Jewel Valley Road in
Boulevard, CA, near the proposed site of the Starlight Solar Project that residents oppose.
Boulevard, CA – At an open hearing Sept. 16, San Diego County Supervisors unanimously approved the Starlight Solar Project despite residents’ concerns about the project’s impact on wildfire safety and their environment.
The project is a proposed 581-acre solar energy and generation facility that will be able to produce up to 100 megawatts of alternating current solar power. The facility will be located in Boulevard, California in far east San Diego County on Jewel Valley Road.
The hearing included presentations from the San Diego County Planning and Development Services team, SWCA Environmental Consultants, J. Whalen Associates, and Boulevard residents. Some speakers were favorable to the project, others were fervently opposed.
“This is the largest solar project proposed in our jurisdiction,” said a staff member for the county.
According to the Boulevard Community Plan documents, part of the County of San Diego Regional Plan, Boulevard is categorized as a “Very High Risk” area for fires.
In May, the Tusil Fire burned 820 acres from Tusil Road to the Campo Indian Reservation. The Thorn Fire burned 1,234 acres, starting on Buckthorn Tail before travelling north in July. The Church 2 Fire began on the Campo Indian Reservation and burned 132 acres. All fires required residential evacuations and affected the Boulevard area. These successive fires, all within the last year, devastated the Boulevard community. Residents now are particularly worried about the potential fire risks or any new developments.
TJ Bonner, a Lake Morena Village resident, spoke at the county hearing in opposition to the Starlight Solar Project. Bonner has been a resident of the area for 48 years and remembers the destruction of the Laguna Fire that was fueled by the Santa Ana winds.
“It burned 32 miles in 30 hours, killed 8 people, and destroyed 382 homes,” he said.
One of the prevailing threats to the community is the Santa Ana winds, or SAWs. In an article from the Institute of Oceanography at University of California San Diego, the current changing climate will affect SAWs causing drier conditions which will result in a later fire season and stronger burning wildfires.
Joe Rowley, a consultant on BESS projects, said the plume analysis done by Empire II, LLC did not take into account the high wind conditions.
Just three weeks after the Starlight Solar hearing Boulevard residents received emails and text messages informing them of planned power outages “due to forecasted high fire risk conditions.” Wind gusts were projected to reach 50 miles per hour during the condition.
Other members of the community are concerned about the health implications of the project during and after construction.
Susan Fogle and her husband moved to Jewel Valley Road, within eyesight of the project’s proposed location, in July. She said she didn’t even need to walk into her house to know it was the one for her. She’s recovering from serious health issues that nearly cost her life and she said her home on Jewel Valley Road is a refuge from stress and pollution.
“Had I known they were going to install solar panels and storage batteries right across the street I would have never bought this house,” she said.
The Planning Commission made recommendations to the County Board of Supervisors to require Empire II, LLC to provide a $1.25M security fund in case litigation is filed against them after passing the motion to approve the Starlight Solar Project. In addition to the $1.25M security fund, the County Board of Supervisors require groundwater monitoring and testing to be performed prior to the start of development and if a fire were to happen on the property. Finally, the County Board of Supervisors is requiring the developer to pursue the Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariffs Program to give community members a 20% discount on their energy bills.
