Large "Solar Ranch" Planned For Manzanar Area

[Tom Taylor]

From a Sierra hiking forum:

I am not sure how many of you are aware of the Los Angeles Dept. of Power's plan to install a 1200 acre industrial solar site directly opposite Manzanar in the Owens Valley. The viewshed from many of the surrounding peaks will be impacted by this installation. There are pictures posted on the Owens Valley Committee Facebook page illustrating these impacts. The comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report are due by November 2nd. The Environmental Documents can be found here: www.ladwp.com/ envnotices. It is the third one from the bottom: " Southern Owens Valley Solar Ranch". This installation will be an irreversible impact to the "Deepest Valley" and "Land of Little Rain" . I am not sure it is stoppable at this point. For those of you that live in the Los Angeles area, we have urged that DWP to hold a meeting in that area to get input from former Manzanar War Relocation Camp internees and others that haven't been able to make the trek to Bishop or Lone Pine where meetings were held last week

Thomas

 

[Pioneer]

Kind of like more prisons, solar power is a terrific idea until it shows up in your backyard.

 

[Roger Thoms]

Kind of like more prisons, solar power is a terrific idea until it shows up in your backyard.

Actually the backyard or even better your rooftop is exactly where solar installation should be, not out in the desert.

Roger

 

[Tom1956]

It's California. A lost cause. That's too bad. I've no doubt at one time in American history, California was among the most scenic places on earth.

 

[bdial]

As a former resident of that area, I have mixed feelings about this.
The LADWP has been screwing up the Owens valley for a very, very long time, and people who live there are justifiably resentful of the power that LA has given that the city is 200'ish miles away.

OTH, many of the alternatives have much greater impact, both to the evironment and views, and there are a lot of great views to be had, on land that the LADWP doesn't own.