"For months, Ocotillo residents and conservationists have been waging a David and Goliath battle seeking to stop Pattern Energy’s proposed Ocotillo Wind Express project. Now Kumeyaay, Cocopah,Quechan and other Native American tribes have banded together to oppose the massive project-- joining residents, desert conservation groups and outdoor enthusiasts who seek to protect resources from destruction—including hundreds of cultural and archaeological sites.

On March 28, the Imperial Valley Planning Commission will rule on whether to approve the controversial project. At the federal level, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior is expected to issue a final decision by May 1. A petition seeking to stop the project has been launched by Ocotillo residents: http://www.change.org/petitions/say-no- ... y-project.

The project would place up 112 to 155 turbines each 450 feet tall on 12,500 acres of publicly owned Bureau of Land Management land. Turbines would be sited within half a mile of homes. Residents have voiced alarm over impacts on health, views, wildlife, and property values. The project would destroy not only desert terrain, but also archaeological and sacred Native American sites."

Get the Story:
TRIBES IMPLORE PRESIDENT OBAMA TO STOP OCOTILLO EXPRESS WIND PROJECT, SAVE CULTURAL RESOURCE SITES (East County Magazine 3/23)

Related Stories:
Monique La Chappa: Campo Band seeks to tap wind power (3/19)