Helo withdraws Sand Canyon wind project application  

Credit:  The Tehachapi News, www.bakersfield.com 15 December 2011 ~~

A company with a controversial plan to build a wind park in Sand Canyon has formally withdrawn its application with the county planning department, Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner has announced.

In a press release late Thursday, Scrivner noted that the proposed wind energy development has been “a point of much concern for residents of Sand Canyon, and the greater Tehachapi area for months.”

He noted that in a letter dated June 7, Kern County Planning Director Lorelei Oviatt informed Helo that she could not support any wind development within the Sand Canyon Specific Plan area.

Efforts by the Tehachapi News to contact Helo for a statement were unsuccessful.

“It is my opinion that Helo Energy’s proposed wind turbines in Sand Canyon raised issues about access to Sand Canyon, safety, and create a visual barrier,” Scrivner said. “All these concerns would have fundamentally changed the existing community and environment.

“I am pleased that Helo Energy has made the decision to formally withdraw the proposed re-zoning application for the Sand Canyon wind project.”