Tehachapi News

Supervisors approve largest California wind project

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The county board of supervisors unanimously approved plans to build the state's largest wind farm in East Kern County last week.

Just not before last-minute negotiations allowed residents living near the proposed project a reason to breathe easy.

Following a lengthy discussion Tuesday, Dec. 15, talks regarding the Alta-Oak Creek Mojave Project were “tailed” until later in the meeting to allow private negotiations between Terra-Gen Power and residents fearing three of the turbines would be built too close to Old West Ranch, an unincorporated community east of Tehachapi.

After more than one hour of negotiations, Terra-Gen agreed to remove the three turbines from the project.

The project will still see the construction of up to 320 new wind turbines stretching as high as 500 feet along the Mojave-Tehachapi mountain border.

“We are pleased about the decision Tuesday,” said Jennifer Geeslin, communications director for the Alta Wind Energy Center, in an e-mail. “Board of Supervisors approval is a significant milestone in the development of the Alta-Oak Creek Mojave Project. Terra-Gen and its employees are proud stake holders in the local community and we look forward to delivering the substantial economic benefits of the Project in these difficult financial times.”

The decision to remove the turbines made Merle Carnes, Old West Ranch property owners association president, extremely happy.

“Oh, very much so,” Carnes said. “It turned out very well for us.”

Carnes said Hoyle had earlier asked her via telephone if those three turbines would be the last ones sought for removal.

“I said, 'Yes,'” Carnes said. “He followed through. I can say that. It's a wonderful thing that they did that.”

Linda Parker, executive director of the Kern Wind Energy Association, said parties from all sides had to work together to reach an approval.

“I think every avenue they could have taken, they did,” Parker said. “You just can't appease everyone all the time.”

Parker said the project needed to be “shovel-ready” by Dec. 2010.

“There's still a lot of work that needs to be done,” she said.

District 2 Supervisor Don Maben beamed at the project's endorsement.

“I'm grateful it's finally approved,” Maben said.

Maben said tailing a matter until a later point in meeting was rare, but does happen.

“We've done it before,” he said. “We want to get it right. We want to be considerate of our neighbors.”

Maben said he couldn't wait to see the financial impact the project would have.

“I'm really looking forward to when construction begins and those first pay checks are handed out,” he said. “That will be exciting.”

Carnes said she started to look more favorably on the project once representatives began having courteous discussions with affected property owners.

“I think they had forgotten to say 'Please,' or 'May I?'” Carnes said. “You learn to treat people with dignity. And things worked out well.”

Old West Ranch resident Brent Scheibel, who was frustrated after the county planning commission unanimously recommended the project on Nov. 12, said he was delighted with Terra-Gen's decision to remove the turbines.

“I'm very happy they listened to us,” Scheibel said. “We want wind power everywhere. We just don't want anyone to stomp on the little guy.”

Scheibel said he and other Old West Ranch residents sought advice from an attorney in preparations for negotiating with Terra-Gen representatives.

He said he gave the eventual removal of additional turbines only a 50-50 chance of happening.

“It was a very pleasant outcome,” Scheibel said.