Newberry Springs representatives attended the February monthly meeting of the Lucerne Valley & Johnson Valley MAC on Thursday night, February 15, 2018, in Lucerne Valley.  The representatives included Ted Stimpfel of the Newberry Springs Community Alliance, Paul Deel of the Newberry Springs EDA, and Bob Berkman of CEQA Now.

    Pat Flanagan of the MBCA presented her updated presentation of Putting the Air We Breath at Risk.  The presentation highlighted the hazardous elements affecting the respiratory system of humans from wind-driven soil particles disturbed from utility-scale solar facilities.

    The hazardous soil dust particles that become airborne in San Bernardino County's high winds have not been properly measured and analyzed.

    Despite lacking the basis of scientific assessment of high wind-driven soil particles for inclusion in Environmental Impact Studies, the County of San Bernardino Land Use Services Planning Department has been assisting major renewable energy developers without the due diligence of proper assessment.  This places citizens' health in peril.

    Flanagan pointed out during her presentation that many of the proposed and existing solar developments are sited in Sand Transport Paths in the Mojave Desert where they definitely should not be located.  The proposed renewable energy projects in Newberry Springs and Daggett are in a Sand Transport Path.

    As the lead agency in approving the Environmental Impact Studies for the renewable energy sites, the county is knowingly overlooking hazardous respiratory hazards like the tobacco industry did, which exposes the County of San Bernardino to liability risk for intentionally ignoring its known responsibility.

    Pat Flanagan is a member of the Morongo Basin MAC, board member of the Morongo Basin Conservation Association, and sits on the Technical Advisory Committee of the Mojave Desert AQMD.