By PETER DAY
Senior Reporter
LUCERNE VALLEY • A number of Lucerne Valley property owners and others from neighboring communities are uniting to voice concerns on the draft Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan.
Many of them shared their thoughts at a Oct. 29 meeting in Victorville, which was held to present document specifics and allow public comment.
“I was totally impressed with what transpired,”Chuck Bell, chairman of the Lucerne Valley Economic Development Association said during last Tuesday’s regular meeting at the Senior Center. “People were right on. What comes out of it, I don’t know.”
The DRECP is a plan that seeks to balance conservation and management of plant and wildlife mostly in California’s desert regions with renewable energy projects. DRECP proponents say the plan will will protect the desert ecosystems while providing for appropriate renewable energy projects.
Many of those who oppose the recently released draft DRECP believe the document tilts in favor of the renewable energy industry and could cause environmental issues along with taking away historically pristine views of the desert.
Resident Bill Lembright said the meeting’s hour-and-a-half opening segment was technical and, for some, laborious.
“They (DRECP presenters) talked the bureaucratic language,” he said.
A couple sitting next to Lembright who said they owned property potentially impacted by the DRECP were considering leaving the meeting.
“I said, ‘Please wait at least a few minutes,’” Lembright said.
But nearly two hours later, the couple — who decided to stay — was still there, intently listening to a stream of public commenters who finally got their chance to speak.
“People were smart, and they were speaking from their heart,” he said.
While Lembright and Bell were encouraged by the clear, articulate message of those concerned, one attendee of the DRECP meeting was said it is “so disheartening” that more residents aren’t taking the time to attend and speak out at the meetings.
“What is it? About 400 people trying to fight it for a million people?” said resident Cyndie Granados.
Granados, who has been involved in off-road racing in Johnson Valley, said the recent fight against the Marine base expansion shows that there is power in numbers.
“The long and short of it is force equals mass,” she said.
Making their voices heard on a congressional level — and specifically allying with Rep. Paul Cook (R-Twentynine Palms) — helped the off-road community to keep much of Johnson Valley for off-roading, one speaker said.
His advice to those worried about the potential disastrous effects the DRECP could have on the area is to speak up.
“If we can make it uncomfortable for those political folks,” said the speaker (name unavailable). “Everyone in this valley needs to write a letter. They really don’t care what the good or bad is. They only care if their constituents are on their back.”
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DRECP meeting
in Joshua Tree
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), California Energy Commission (CEC) and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently the addition of a public meeting for the draft Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS).
The additional meeting will be held Wednesday, Nov. 19, from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Joshua Tree Community Center, 6171 Sunburst St, Joshua Tree.
The additional meeting was added in response to requests from the public for an opportunity to obtain information and provide public comment on the draft plan. The meeting will include a presentation, information stations and an opportunity to submit recorded verbal and written comments. Please visit www.drecp.org for a detailed agenda and meeting information.
A series of 10 public meetings have been ongoing throughout the DRECP planning area and surrounding population centers since October 20.
The draft DRECP is an innovative renewable energy and conservation plan covering more than 22 million acres of land in Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. The draft is the result of collaboration among the BLM, FWS, CEC, CDFW and other stakeholders.
The draft plan proposes to protect areas in the California desert that are important for wildlife, recreation, cultural and other uses while also facilitating the timely permitting of solar, wind and geothermal energy projects and associated transmission in appropriate areas. The draft plan presents six alternative approaches for meeting renewable energy and conservation goals through 2040. Each alternative proposes a different conservation design and configuration of lands available for more efficient and predictable renewable energy project review. The draft plan also includes an analysis of the potential environmental impacts of these alternatives.
The DRECP’s formal public comment period runs through January 9, 2015.
The draft DRECP EIR/EIS is available to review and download at www.drecp.org, and at local libraries and agency offices. A DVD will be provided upon request. To request a DVD, please send an email to drecp.info@energy.ca.gov or call (866) 674-9996 and provide a mailing address. For a list of local area libraries and agency offices that have the document on file (most are on DVD), please visit www.drecp.org/draftdrecp.