As noted in our July 22 EBlast, MBCA signed on to support an effort by the Tubbs Canyon Conservancy to urge the USDA Agricultural Research Service to develop a biologic control agent for the incredibly invasive Sahara Mustard that plagues the southwest United States. On July 26 an official request to designate Sahara mustard as a top priority target weed for developing biologic control was sent to the USDA/ARS with the support of 10 U.S. Representatives including our Congressman Paul Cook. 

Control the spread of Sahara Mustard
Paradise Valley Development Threatens Joshua Tree National Park
Stop Eagle Crest Energy!
Stop Cadiz! SB-307 on Governors desk
Countywide Plan comments due August 15

Control the spread of Sahara Mustard

MBCA with conservation partners at The Tubb Canyon Conservancy (http://www.tubbcanyondesertconservancy.org/), have waged a fight since 2011 against Sahara Mustard, an invasive interloper. It has become apparent that the scale of the problem has exceeded any potential to eradicate this non-native plant either manually or using herbicides. We have come to understand the need for a biologic-control agent - a natural predator – to be developed and employed to fight this invasive. U.S. Representative Susan Davis (San Diego, CA-53) has prepared a letter (draft version here) to the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) urging designation of this plant as a top-priority target weed for bio-control. Our local representative, Paul Cook (CA-8), has signed onto this letter. Please contact his office in Washington (202) 225-5861) before July 25^thexpressing your support and thanks for his position.

Stop the Paradise Valley Development

MBCA is tracking Riverside County’s processing of the application for this huge and grossly inappropriate development. It would place a new town of 20,000 to 25,000 residents including 1,380,000 square feet of commercial development, directly on the southern boundary of Joshua Tree National Park. As of this writing, the Riverside County Planning Commission has yet to place this matter on the agenda of the August 21, 2019 meeting, however it is anticipated that it will be heard at that time. Another excellent editorial published in the Desert Sun on July 13, 2019 presents additional reasons to deny approval for this development. Watch this space for updates and action alerts!

Stop Eagle Crest Energy

Good News!Our voices have contributed to the defeat of SB-772 where it failed to pass the State Senate!

Surrounded by Joshua Tree National Park, the existing pits of the now abandoned Eagle Mountain Mine are proposed to be re-purposed into a pumped-hydro long term bulk energy storage facility. With precious water pumped from the underlying aquifer, the Eagle Crest Energy project would have been paid for by us: the ratepayers. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) found that long-term bulk energy storage, as defined by SB-772, would have increased costs for ratepayers “in the hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars”!

While the Eagle Crest Energy project has not been defeated, with the defeat of SB-772 the likelihood of completion ofthis ill-advised and damaging project has been dealt a severe blow.

Stop Cadiz! SB-307 on Governors desk

Good news!On July 1, 2019 the State Assembly voted to pass SB-307. The bill now goes to the desk of Governor Gavin Newsome for signing. SB-307 (Roth) would prohibit the use of a water conveyance facility to transfer water from a groundwater basin underlying desert lands unless the State Lands Commission, in consultation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Water Resources finds that the transfer will not adversely affect the natural or cultural resources of the land. With this passage, the controversial Cadiz water project will now be subject to thorough and desperately needed environmental review.

Countywide Plan comments due August 15

MBCA directors and supporters arecrafting comments on the Countywide Plan draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIR) in anticipation of the August 15, 2019 deadline for comments. Our June 21, 2019 news update provides links to the many documents that the County has released. The coalition comment letter linked within the update provides insights on how to substantially comment upon and tackle this daunting yet vitally important report.

Thank you to our many members and supporters for your vigilance, tenacity and activism in support of our precious desert environment. I am proud to be a part of this community!

Sincerely,

Steve Bardwell President
Morongo Basin Conservation Association

Your 2019 MBCA Board
Steve Bardwell, President                          Pat Flanagan, Director       
David Fick, Vice President                         Meg Foley, Director
Laraine Turk, Recording Secretary             Mike Lipsitz, Director
Marina West, Treasurer                             Ruth Rieman, Director
Sarah Kennington, Past President             

 

Another strong case is made in a July 12 opinion letter in the Desert Sun against the proposed Paradise Valley housing development of more than 20,000 residents on the south side of Joshua Tree National Park.  The piece by Gail Wadsworth, executive director of the California Institute for Rural Studies, focuses on the unmet housing and support needs of rural communities near the proposed site and how the development would be detrimental rather than supportive for residents in those communities. 
 

A judge's decision on June 21 has reversed the BLM's 2017 ruling (which was itself a reversal of their prior decision) regarding the need for federal environmental review for the railroad right-of-way that relates to the Cadiz pipeline project. The next action is back in BLM's court. More details can be found in this Desert Sun article and with greater emphasis on the legal issues in this Courthouse News Service article. Prior news updates from MBCA on this and other water conservation-related news can be found on our "Water Issues" page.

The latest version of the Draft Countywide Plan was published this spring, and on June 17, the County published the Draft Environmental Impact Report for it, with a comment deadline of Thursday, August 15, 2019.

In response to the latest draft of the Countywide Plan, MBCA as an organization and several Board members as individuals signed onto a May 10 Coalition letter specifying three major concerns. 1) The Plan is not in line with the recently-adopted RECE 4.10 Policy relating to renewable energy developments in rural living areas; 2) most of the land in the proposed new "Resource/Land Management" zone is also incompatible with RECE 4.10; and 3) Community Action Guides should not replace the current community plans in unincorporated desert communities.

Here are the sections of the latest draft of the San Bernardino Countywide Plan:

Draft Policy Plan
Draft Land Use Plan
Plan Goals and Policy Matrix (for unincorporated communities, you can click on your community from this page to see the “Community Action Guides”)

The Draft EIR can be accessed online, and we have also provided the main sections here on our website.

DRAFT EIR for the San Bernardino Countywide Plan, June 2019:

Notice of Preparation, Scoping meeting sign-ins and comments
Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Data
Community and Municipal Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Draft EIR Title Page
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction (includes scoping comments by site)
Project Description (lots of maps)
Environmental Setting
Environmental Analysis, Aesthetics
Environmental Analysis, Air Quality
Environmental Analysis, Biological Resources
Environmental Analysis, Cultural Resources
Environmental Analysis, Geology and Soils
Environmental Analysis, Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Environmental Analysis, Hazards and Hazardous Materials
Environmental Analysis, Hydrology and Water Quality
Environmental Analysis, Land Use and Planning
Environmental Analysis, Mineral Resources
Environmental Analysis, Noise
Environmental Analysis, Population and Housing
Environmental Analysis, Public Services
Responses from Native American Tribal Representatives

These additional sections are available on the County website:

Chapter 6) Significant Unavoidable Adverse Impacts

Chapter 7) Alternatives to the Proposed Project

Chapter 8) Impacts Found Not to Be Significant

Chapter 9) Other CEQA Considerations

Chapter 10) Organizations and Persons Consulted

Chapter 11) Qualifications of Persons Preparing EIR

Chapter 12) Bibliography

DRAFT EIR APPENDICES

A) Notice of Preparation (NOP), NOP Comments, and Scoping Meeting Attendance Sheets

B) Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Data

C) Community and Municipal Greenhouse Gas Inventory

D1) Biological Resources Existing Conditions (Report)
D2) Biological Resources Existing Conditions (Appendices)

E) Cultural Resources Technical Report

F) Paleontological Resources Technical Report

G1) Safety Background (Report)
G2) Safety Background (Figures)

H) Water, Wastewater, and Hydrology Existing Conditions

I) Land Use Background Report

J) Noise Data

K) Responses Received from Service Providers

L1) Transportation Impact Analysis (Report)
L2) Transportation Impact Analysis (Appendices- Part 1)
L3) Transportation Impact Analysis (Appendices- Part 2)
L4) Transportation Impact Analysis (Appendices- Part 3)
L5) Transportation Impact Analysis (Appendices- Part 4)

The 9th Desert-Wise Living Landscape Tour provided a chance for several hundred people from the Morongo Basin and beyond to explore 21 landscapes from Flamingo Heights to Twentynine Palms during the last weekend in April. Viewing different sized properties and a multitude of creative ideas and consideration for water conservation, visitors were both delighted and educated.

The three winning essays available through the links below creatively express the enjoyment and inspiration gained on the Tour as well as practical insights gained from the experience. Congratulations to the writers!

1st place - Claudia Bucher won a $200 gift certificate to Unique Nursery in Yucca Valley.
2nd place - Jeff Jens won a $150 gift certificate to Cactus Mart in Morongo Valley.
3rd place - Cindy Von Halle won a $100 gift certificate to Cactus Mart in Morongo Valley.

California Senate Bill 772, which would have provided a supportive policy for hydroelectric energy storage projects like the Eagle Mountain project, failed to pass a full Senate vote. The bill could be reintroduced next year. Read details in this Desert Sun article and in the pre-vote Los Angeles Times opinion piece against the bill.

• Stop Eagle Crest Energy: NO on SB-772
• Paradise Valley Development Threatens Joshua Tree National Park
• Stop Cadiz! Support SB-307
• Desert-Wise Living Essay Contest Winners

Stop Eagle Crest Energy: NO on SB 772
Surrounded by Joshua Tree National Park, the existing pits of the now abandoned Eagle Mountain Mine are proposed to be re-purposed into a pumped-hydro long-term bulk energy storage facility. With precious water pumped from the underlying aquifer, the Eagle Crest Energy project would be paid for by us: the ratepayers. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) found that long-term bulk energy storage, as defined by SB-772, would increase costs for ratepayers “in the hundreds of millions, if not, billions of dollars”!

This week we have an opportunity to stop SB-772, which would force ratepayers to bail out Eagle Crest Energy’s ill-conceived, expensive, environmentally damaging pumped storage project. Bill proponents have until this Friday to pass the legislation from the State Senate. We urge local desert residents to call Senator Shannon Grove's office in Sacramento -- (916) 651-4016 -- and leave a message urging her to vote NO on Senate Bill 772. While the environmental damage from this project would be great, we urge callers to emphasize the hundreds of millions of dollars that ratepayers will be forced to pay to bail-out a failed project.

Paradise Valley Development Threatens Joshua Tree National Park
On May 15, the Riverside County Planning Commission voted to continue consideration of this grossly inappropriate development to June 5 at which time a date will be set for what is believed will be the final hearing by the Commission. A strong showing by the southern California environmental community presented many strong comments in opposition. Many demanded that a Joint Project Review, as required under the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP) be required as a condition of any approval to proceed. Our voices may have contributed to this Editorial in The Desert Sun.

Stop Cadiz: Support SB-307
Good news! The State Senate Appropriations Committee has voted to send this legislation to the entire Senate where it will be voted on later in this legislative session. Should the bill pass the Senate, it will then go to the Assembly for a vote and if passed, will go to the Governor for signing. SB-307 (Roth) would prohibit the use of a water conveyance facility to transfer water from a groundwater basin underlying desert lands unless the State Lands Commission, in consultation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Water Resources finds that the transfer will not adversely affect the natural or cultural resources of the land. This bill would subject the controversial Cadiz water project to the desperately needed environmental review it has so far evaded.

Desert-Wise Living Essay Contest
Winners of our Essay contest are: Claudia Bucher first place, Jeff Jens, second place, and Cindy Von Halle third place. Thanks to all who submitted for sharing your experiences with the tour. We will have the winning essays on our website shortly. Many thanks to all of the sponsors, hosts and volunteers who made the ninth Desert Wise Landscape tour a success especially to Cactus Mart in Morongo Valley, and Unique Nursery in Yucca Valley for the generous gift certificates.

Our voices do matter! Thanks to all of you who speak and act in defense of our beautiful desert!

Sincerely,

Steve Bardwell President
Morongo Basin Conservation Association

Your 2019 MBCA Board 

Steve Bardwell, President                          Pat Flanagan, Director       
David Fick, Vice President                         Meg Foley, Director
Laraine Turk, Recording Secretary            Mike Lipsitz, Director
Marina West, Treasurer                             Ruth Rieman, Director
Sarah Kennington, Past President            Seth Shteir, Director

 

MBCA is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Desert-Wise Landscape Tour Essay Contest. Six thoughtful and enthusiastic essays were submitted. The essays were ranked by a panel of 3 judges based on the instruction “Describe your experience and/or comment on how you will apply what you learned on the 2019 Desert-Wise Landscape Tour.”

1st place - Claudia Bucher, a $200 gift certificate to Unique Nursery [Yucca Valley, CA].

2nd place - Jeff Jens, a $150 gift certificate to Cactus Mart [Morongo Valley, CA].

3rd place - Cindy Von Halle, a $100 gift certificate to Cactus Mart (Morongo Valley, CA).

Their essays and those of the other three participants will be published soon on MBCA's website, and a link will be provided in our next Eblast.

Congratulations Claudia, Jeff and Cindy!

While not directly supporting the Eagle Mountain hydropower and storage project, the passage of SB 772 would require California to support projects that would store energy as part of the state's plan to increase renewable energy production. The increasing amount of solar and wind energy is more than can be used as it is produced, so storage becomes more important to continue reducing non-renewable energy consumption. This in-depth article in the Los Angeles Times provides perspective from both industry and environmental perspectives.