San Bernardino County to prohibit renewable energy development in key desert areas

Developers will no longer be allowed to develop large renewable energy projects in certain areas of the San Bernardino County desert. After a five-hour public hearing Tuesday, Feb. 28, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to prohibit utility-oriented renewable energy development in rural zones and the unincorporated communities of Bloomington, Muscoy, Bear Valley, Crest Forest, Hilltop, Lake Arrowhead, Lytle Creek, Oak Glen, Homestead Valley, Joshua Tree, Lucerne Valley, Morongo Valley, Oak Hills and Phelan/Phelan Hills. About five dozen people addressed the supervisors, including residents supportive of the ban, union members who oppose the ban because they want the construction jobs generated by the (mostly solar) projects, and developers and utilities looking to add alternative energy to the power grid.