California: Enviros file Biomass Lawsuit against Sikiyou County & RFP
Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center and Weed Concerned Citizens
filed a suit in mid-December against the Siskiyou County Board of
Supervisors, challenging their Nov. 13 decision to approve a use
permit for Roseburg Forest Products to build a 15-megawatt biomass
cogeneration plant in Weed. The petition alleges that the supervisors’
actions violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and
the petitioners are seeking a determination from the Siskiyou County
Superior Court that the board of supervisors’ actions were invalid and
void. According to the suit, the Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
prepared for the project fails to satisfy the requirements of CEQA and
the CEQA guidelines. The board of supervisors, in a strong response
dated Dec. 29 and e-mailed to news organizations on Jan. 5, stated
their continuing support for the project. Titled “Statement of Board
of Supervisors Regarding Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, et
al. v. County of Siskiyou and Roseburg Forest Products,” the statement
reads:
“The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors is issuing this statement
with respect to its position regarding the recent lawsuit filed
challenging the approval of the biomass cogeneration electric power
plant to be constructed by Roseburg Forest Products Company at the
Weed Veneer Mill facility. ”
The Board of Supervisors continues to
stand firmly behind this project and the approval granted. It is
unfortunate that a few disgruntled individuals have filed, what
appears to be, a suit lacking in substance in an attempt to forestall
the development of this critically needed facility. “Not only is this
facility consistent with the Governor’s desire to develop renewable
energy resources, but it is also essential for the continued economic
vitality of the County of Siskiyou. “It is the Board of Supervisors’
understanding that as many as 33 employees could be laid off within
the next few weeks because of this lawsuit and that there is a very
real potential for permanent harm to the County’s economic base. It is
the Board of Supervisors’ opinion that this lawsuit is an abuse of
the CEQA process and the Board calls on the Governor of the State of
California, the Legislature, and the Attorney General, to take
immediate action to support the County of Siskiyou in its efforts to
comply with the State’s desire to have these types of environmentally
friendly facilities created. “In light of the fact that the State is
supporting the removal of clean hydroelectric power from the County,
it is even more essential that environmentally friendly sources of
power generation be put in place. The Board directs the Clerk to send
a copy of this Statement to the Governor of the State of California,
and the Attorney General of the State of California, as well as the
County’s Legislative Representatives and Congressman Wally Herger, as
its request for their support for this project.
http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/news/x1060501669/Groups-file-suit-against-Roseburg-biomass-project
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