Environmental issues continued to reflect differing visions of how life should be lived in the Morongo Basin. Dan Stork reviews some of the highlights of concerns publicly aired in 2013…
In 2013, environmental issues were at stake in all corners of the MorongoBasin:
- A wind power project planned for Black Lava Butte near Pioneertown was cancelled.
- Both Twentynine Palms and YuccaValley banned industrial solar development within their boundaries.
- San BernardinoCounty followed a moratorium on commercial solar projects with rules that could restrict where and how they are built on County land.
- The MorongoUnifiedSchool District backed away from internal solar projects, opting to pursue energy cost reduction by efficiency measures.
- Local environmental organizations kept up the pressure to shape the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan to their concerns.
- Progress on a planned Dollar General store in Joshua Tree was held up by environmentally-based suits.
- A report favorable to a project, which would pump water from the Cadiz Valley to coastal California, was challenged, with that challenge supported by this area’s congressman.
