Shasta County’s fight to stop controversial wind energy project scores a win 

“After public comment and final findings are considered, an Updated Staff Assessment will be published, which will include a final recommendation. The commission will vote to approve or disapprove the application at a business meeting,” Stacey Shepard, a spokeswoman for the California Energy Commission, said in an email.

The staff assessment says in part, “Staff acknowledges the key role wind generation plays in SB 100 goals, but concludes the evidence is clear that this location is not compatible with this proposed facility.”

The report stated the project is “not necessary for public convenience and necessity and that a battery energy storage system would be a more prudent and feasible alternative.”

Too, the project would impact the ability to fight fires and “introduce an impediment to aerial firefighting which would present a significant and unavoidable impact to wildfire emergency response,” the assessment said.

In a news release, the county said “The decision marks a major milestone in the county’s ongoing efforts to protect public safety, preserve forest and tribal lands, and uphold local planning authority.”

“This is a victory for Shasta County and the communities who have stood together in defense of our land, safety, quality of life, and most importantly, local control,” Board of Supervisors Chair Kevin Crye said in the release.

Along with the California Energy Commission’ staff assessment, the project’s draft Environmental Impact Report was released Tuesday.

“The next step is public review and input on the Fountain Wind Staff Assessment, which includes a draft EIR. Yesterday, March 25, was the start of a 60-day public comment period, and a public meeting will be held near the project site within the next 30 to 60 days,” Shepard said.

Shasta County and the Pit River Tribe teamed up to sue the state over the project, which would feature 48 wind turbines on 4,500 acres in the Montgomery Creek-Round Mountain area, about 35 miles east of Redding. The turbines would have the capacity to generate 205 megawatts, enough power to about 80,000 homes, according to project applicant Texas-based ConnectGen.

Intermountain residents have been fighting the Fountain Wind project for more than five years.

In October 2021, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors voted down the project, denying ConnectGen’s appeal of the county Planning Commission’s decision not to approve the wind farm. The supervisors’ meeting featured more than 10 hours of public comment.

But the California Legislature in 2022 approved AB 205, which allowed the Energy Commission to consider approving the project, even though Shasta County rejected it.

Last year, Shasta County started a media campaign to fight the project and to date has spent about $55,000 on it. The county also has spent about $968,000 in legal fees to fight Fountain Wind.

Meanwhile, last April, a Shasta County Superior Court judge ruled that a judge from outside of the area will preside over the lawsuit filed against the wind project.

Rather than move the case to a court in another county, Judge Stephen Baker ruled that a judge from a county other than Shasta or Sacramento counties will hear the case, but it will remain in-county.