Boulevard was quick to say no to a major wind turbine project

SDNR Commentary

Today it seems that there is less we can all agree upon. We can agree on something simple, like we all enjoy pizza or that the Steelers are the best, but that’s pretty much the end of that, right? Well no, renewable energy is another thing we can and should agree upon. The state is mandating it and the federal government is funding it with the stimulus package.  It creates jobs, cuts pollution and reduces dependence on foreign oil. There really isn’t a bad thing to say about it right? Wrong. Welcome to East County’s small hamlet of Boulevard.

Recently, the Boulevard Planning Group voted unanimously against a proposed wind farm that would be rated at 200 megawatts of power for our region. A project that, if built, could help our region comply with state mandates for renewable energy, and which would increase the tax basis of raw land so that the county could collect more revenues. It would also ensure that federal stimulus dollars that are earmarked for renewable energy projects are spent here in San Diego County--not in Iowa or Kansas.

The response by Boulevard was “they can keep their stimulus money, the government took that money, it’s our money anyway and we would rather it be spent elsewhere than here.” Wait…what, come again?

A motivated band of tax-paying Americans were so appalled by the spending of their hard-earned money in the stimulus bill that they don’t want it spent in their backyards. They said the administration can spend it, but not in their backyard. But was it the spending or the 200-plus-foot-high wind turbines that they did not want? The same folks that were standing against the stimulus money and were calling for free market capitalism and "anti-socialism,” were the same ones that were berating the renewable energy developer for “only caring about making a profit.”

There is the past, present and future of energy in our world. Renewable energy is both the present and the future. When people wonder where stimulus funds are being spent, they need look no further than thousands of renewable energy projects being planned across the country.

The winds of change of the current administration are blowing hard and turning wind turbines from the Great Plains to the Pacific. Federal tax dollars are being spent in our county, dramatically increasing property values on these once vacant sites, thus increasing county revenue. New jobs are being created for construction of the projects and ongoing maintenance. Fortunately, business is taking advantage of this brief moment in time when the money is flowing to these projects and utilizing the rather small areas open for development.

Wind energy development firms are sinking upwards of $400 million dollars into each project, so they are extremely thorough in their wind testing. Many of the self-proclaimed “activists” fight even the installation of the small wind testing equipment to see where the wind blows, which is a telling sign of their true motivations.

Renewable energy opposition is turning into today's nuclear power development conundrum. Opponents use pseudo-environmental concerns to stop a country in need of a new and cleaner power source from developing that source, and it is working. At a renewable energy summit held in Imperial County this summer, developers, financiers and regulators all indicated that California is a grade C choice for new renewable projects. Not because there isn’t plenty of wind and sunshine, but because the cost of permitting is too great.

Imperial County recognizes this which is why it is quickly becoming a renewable energy Mecca. Meanwhile, in San Diego County, a much needed 200- megawatt project is getting voted down and slammed by so-called activists in true San Diego fashion; boorishly, without even a morsel of honest debate and review of all of the facts. Suddenly, expert analysis and mandated environmental reporting documents are moot, because an activist knows how to use Google.

San Diego never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. The opportunity is here, millions of dollars, increased tax revenue, clean energy, regional support for cutting dependence on foreign oil, and new, profitable businesses in San Diego County. Before we just say pass on that, let’s have an open and honest review of the facts and an understanding of all of the pros and cons of such a potentially promising new era in Southern California and San Diego.

Rich Geisler is the Vice President of J. Whalen Associates, a small environmental consulting and governmental relations firm. He previously was a policy aide to former Council President Scott Peters. Geisler serves on the Board of Directors for Southeast Economic Development Corporation and is the co-founder and president of the Fuller Center for Housing of San Diego.

                                        

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