Everyone likes renewable solar power, but at whose expense and whose benefit? Our county signed a 25-year lease with NCPA to “build one of the largest solar arrays on the West Coast near the City of Clearlake.” NCPA is a power agency whose job it is to “provide and distribute electric power on behalf of its 15 members” (including the cities of Palo Alto, Healdsburg and Ukiah). The Agency wants to lower its PG&E costs for its Geyser facility.
NCPA”s lease with our county is first and foremost a business arrangement to benefit their members. That arrangement severely devalues my neighbors properties on Pond Road as seven acres of huge solar panels goes in directly across the street. We have asked the planning department and our supervisor the following questions:
— What did the county gain for this huge loss to its residents?
— Why did they agree to this lease in November and not inform the affected neighbors until one week prior to the planning commission in February?
— Why, when they realized the notification they sent out did not show the real location of this solar plant, did they not immediately send it back to planning but force Mr. Sullivan to pay for an appeal?
— Why would the Board of Supervisors try to convince us that we had been legally notified?
— Do they really believe that a jury of our fellow residents, upon seeing that map and hearing our testimony would not recognize the truth?
— Why use this location when the county has other lands (100 acres in Middletown) not affecting neighbors?
The next meeting on this matter is this afternoon (Tuesday, April 15) at 3 p.m. We hope the public will join us to insist on answers to these questions. This issue should go back to the planning commission for more fact finding and Mr. Sullivan should be reimbursed for his appeal costs.
Bonnie Poco
Middletown
Editor”s Note: Founded in 1968, the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) is located in Roseville and is a joint powers agency that provides support for the electric utility operations of 17 member communities and districts in Northern California.
