Solargen Energy’s Panoche Valley Solar Farm project passed a
milestone Monday when the county released its Draft Environmental
Impact Report, which identifies the environmental impacts the
project could bring to the area and provides alternative ideas to
help mitigate those issues.
Solargen Energy’s Panoche Valley Solar Farm project passed a milestone Monday when the county released its Draft Environmental Impact Report, which identifies the environmental impacts the project could bring to the area and provides alternative ideas to help mitigate those issues.
The report was expected to be released June 25 but was delayed to Monday. As of Monday afternoon before press time, the report had not been released to the public.
The report will be open to public comment for the next 45 days, and the county will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. July 21 in the San Benito County Board of Supervisors chambers at 481 Fourth St.
The project is a proposed 420-megawatt solar farm on 4,700 acres in the southeastern portion of the county. A decision on its approval is expected by December, but first the project needs to have an environmental impact report OK’d. To do so, Solargen must mitigate the issues the draft report finds.
The report outlines three main concerns – the project’s ascetics, the biological impact and noise, said Michael Krausie, the San Benito County project manager.
Most of the issues can be mitigated to a less significant impact.
“There are a lot of sensitive issues – you have to be aware of the species,” Krausie said. “Every species is different, but the goal is to reduce the impact to the species and the habitat.”
Krausie listed the kit fox and the giant kangaroo rat as two of the species that could be affected.
The look of the project is another issue.
“The main area of concern is really the ascetics – the visual impact,” Krausie said.
To complete the report, the county hired the Aspen Environmental Group to do the research and prepare the document.
The document took nearly 18 months of hard and constant work, Solargen Chief Executive Officer Michael Peterson said.
“They spent a year and a half of effort and $7 million of biological work to review the environmental impact – kudos to them,” he said.
Peterson said that Solargen had up to 18 biologists working on the project and at times crews had to work on weekends.
Solargen, unlike other major projects proposed here before, is working under a specific time frame in order to receive federal and state subsidies and make it viable.
“If other projects have taken longer, they haven’t been willing to do as much work all at one time as we have,” Peterson said.
To view the EIR document, the report will be available in four locations in the county – the San Benito County Administration Building, the San Benito County Department of Planning and Building, the San Benito County Free Library and the Panoche Inn. It will also be available on the county’s website. It can be ordered for a fee from the Design Line & Granger Printing in downtown Hollister.
Peterson hopes those who look at the document will see the benefit to the county.
“We have been willing to put up that money at risk in order to hopefully get this job done. There is no risk to the county,” he said. “What is the risk to the county if this project only goes halfway? … The only risk is that it doesn’t get approved and there won’t be any jobs.”
Added Peterson: “It’s the biggest economic opportunity for the county ever.”
To view the Solargen EIR, go here.
