November 2, 2019
California, Letters

County needs own energy, not Monument Ridge plan

Redwood Times | November 1, 2019 | www.redwoodtimes.com

Humboldt County desperately needs energy independence as illustrated by the numerous power shutoffs of late. However, the proposed wind power generation plan for Monument Ridge is not the way to go for numerous reasons.

First, it would direct power to the PG&E grid via Bridgeville, the very source of the shut downs impacting Humboldt, and not provide any new power to this county.

The environmental disaster that would result from this plan (Pacific flyway bird kills, loss of carbon storing forestlands, new un-paved roads that would put new sediments into already impacted streams, disrespecting sacred lands, etc.) would be an unmitigated disaster!

The future of any wind projects should focus on off-shore proposals that should be officially supported by the supervisors and pushed forward as an alternative.

Furthermore, in the meantime the PG&E plant south of Eureka needs to be rewired to provide power to Humboldt when the east-west line along state Route 36 and 299 are shut down. The supervisors need to demand this fix of PG&E and make it contingent on their ability to operate here.

I hope that all of our supervisors will introduce and support these ideas at the next Board of Supervisors meeting and beyond at the state level in Sacramento and in the appropriate corporate offices.

Hartwell Welsh, Ph.D., research wildlife ecologist, Bayside


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/11/02/county-needs-own-energy-not-monument-ridge-plan/