Having earlier voted to appeal the county's Planning Commission's approval of the BMT Minneola Solar project, the Newberry CSD sounded like it was on the right track in opposing the growing number of solar developments that are knocking on the door of Newberry Springs.

    As with the Clearway Energy project, egotistical director Jack Unger quickly stepped forward to lead the development of a presentation that he will present at an upcoming appeal hearing on the BMT project before the county's Board of Supervisors.

    He had previously stepped forward and gave a similar presentation regarding the Clearway Energy project. That presentation was an embarrassing fiasco that was co-presented with then director, Victoria Paulsen. The Powerpoint portion of the presentation had multiple breakdowns and the presentation was poorly organized. It was hoped that Jack Unger would have learned from that awful and losing experience.

    The Newberry CSD directors held a Special Board Meeting on Thursday, August 8, 2024, to review, modify, and accept the presentation that Jack Unger prepared and will present on August 20, 2024, at the appeal hearing before the Supervisors.

    As a shocking and wet towel slap across the face of Newberry Springs' residents, Jack Unger presented a presentation of acceptance of the BMT Minneola Solar project, with a request that a few modifications be made regarding the construction.

    I was expecting that the other CSD Board members would immediately object, none did. All of the directors were present except for Robert Springer who has been a regular no show at CSD meetings.

    The other directors, Paula Deel, Margie Roberts, and Mike Matson for a half-hour took turns making suggestions to Unger's draft, but no one objected to Unger's acceptance of the project.

    Finally, I had a public audiance opportunity to voice objection whereby I made it clear that the project, like the Clearway Energy project, was being illegally sited as Newberry Springs by its natural location is already being overburdened by high levels of carcinogenic silica dust. Even before the Clearway Energy project, Newberry Springs' residents were having a higher hospitalization rate for respiratory ailments than the county's average.

    Based upon the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the state's Environmental Justice laws, particularly for an Environmental Justice Focus Area that Newberry Springs is, projects that would further burden our disadvantaged community with cumulative silica dust are illegal (unless there are unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances... in which for BMT and Clearway Energy, there are none).

    Director Mike Matson immediately picked up on this legal fact and understood the problem, stating that by accepting the BMT project, the CSD was "only changing the goal posts" and that such would only promote more and more solar.

    I immediately felt a positive shift in the direction that the directors were taking and that the directors would properly oppose the BMT development.

    But then, Jackass Jack, with a sour grapes statement, said that if the directors were not going to accept his position as written, then he wasn't going to participate in presenting it. In other words, play with my ball my way or I'm going to take it home.

    Based upon Jackass Jack's refusal to abide by any major decision other than his own, the other directors gave in to the crybaby's petty antics.

    This is the childish way that decisions involving the health and the safety of Newberrians are handled by the CSD directors.

    Understand, that directors Jack Unger, Paula Deel, and absent Robert Springer have been down this solar road before.  They are losers.  Repeat offenders.  Habitual losers are only comfortable with what they know... defeat.  It is why Newberry Springs has continued to spiral downhill during the years that they have been in office.

    So with another solar development being placed upwind, Newberry residents can expect an increase in the carcinogenic dust, particularly for those living in the southwestern corner of Newberry Springs.

    It is truly disappointing that Newberry CSD directors Paula Deel, Margie Roberts, and Mike Matson would unanimously side with Jack Unger's dim-wittedness and not demonstrate better leadership for the safety of Newberry's residents.