The wind part of the blog title is a major windenergy project being proposed between Tehachapi and Mojave.

The valley part of the project is a oilfield services development near Valley Acres between Bakersfield and Taft.

More about those later.

Phillip Rudnick is speaking. Wow.

He's asking for the county to allow people trying to develop wind energy projects (perhaps the wind energy project on the Onyx Ranch property which his family recently sold to a wind energy company) to take access rights from other private property owners in the interest of the need for renewable energy.

Lorelei Oviatt is speaking about Neighborhood Development.

She said the project is premature and that the board of supervisor has given clear direction that the project should wait until the general plan is approved before moving forward with a project there.

Staff hasn't even given planning commissioners potential language they can use to approve the project, Oviatt said.

If commissioners want to approve it, they will have to continue the hearing so the language can be written.

Andreis Lewis is speaking. He's making a strong pitch for his project, saying he can't wait another four years for the general plan to be updated, his project to be approved, his plans to be processed and construction equipment to start moving.

"We do understand the board's concerns," he said.

But it took them five years to get to this point, he said, and the economics of the land won't wait.

"Our only other alternative will be to build with the zoning that is there," he said.

"We don't want to come here against planning department recommendation. We understand the board felt the project was premature, but we don't think it felt the whole project was premature," Lewis said. "None of us would be want to build with the zoning the way it is. With the hodge-podge of zoing you're going to be something more like a 7-11."

No public comments - curious.

Oviatt is saying Lewis cannot build much on the site since most of it is zoned for agriculture. Lewis would still have to come back with a request to change the zoning on the site - something the board's policy shows

Lewis is arguing that the land has a general plan designation and it would unfair not to give him the zoning that is consistent with that designation.

"I am prepared to make a recommendation approve the staff recommendation and let the supervisors sort this out," said Commissioner Chris Babcock.

The recommendation of denial was approved unanimously.

We're on to the Alta Windpower Development, LLC.

The project would produce 800 megawatts of power from turbines clumped in several large areas around Oak Creek Road southwest of Mojave.

"This would be the largest windpower project in California," Oviatt said.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife has determined that California Condors are flying within the area of the project and are concerned about the safety of the board.

To make sure condors are safe the county will require "bird diverters" on the equipment and project developer to have a full-time, on-site employee to remove the dead bodies of sheep that die while grazing on the site so they do not attract condors.

I missed the telecast...somewhat confused on the Driver issue.

What exactly did the builder want to build out there?

Seems like Terra-Gen Power is actually the company fronting this deal, even though the Alta Windpower Development, LLC name is on the staff report.

Randy Hoyle, Vice President of Development for Terra-Gen, who he said is representing Alta Windpower Development on the project is delivering his presentation.

Terra-Gen currently has 21 projects delivering 831 net megawatts.

So this project alone will double the company's production.

alex - a commercial shopping zone. about 12 acres in size at Driver

"We feel this project will kick off a new era of wind energy development in this area," Hoyle.

There are number of people here in opposition of the project. They're next.\

William Nelson of Tehachapi is speaking.

He's arguing that the whole way the county has gone about approving wind projects is flawed.

Janice Haggin is worried that the projects would damage aviation at Mountain Valley Airport.

Thanks James.....

There were no other specifics about the Driver Rd. commercial proposal..........no idea what kind of commercial businesses yet?

Delbert Jones who lives in the area would like a few less turbines near his home.

Kate DeVries, speaking for David Laughing Horse Robinson, is up.

"Any time a zone change is processed in this county I must be informed."

No mention of businesses alex.

Laughing Horse is claim there are many graves, cultural sites and other important native american resources there.

i hope they let this project (wind)though. it would bring good jobs with benefits.

Neighbors are arguing that their families and properties will be threatened by ice thowing, catastrophic failure, tv and cellphone interruption, noise and the impact of light flickering through the blades of the wind turbines would make their lives dangerous and destroy their enjoyment of their property.

You guys don't live in that area do you?

Penny Melko caused the project a devestating invasion of the Mojave Desert by a Japanese parent company and approving it is tantamount to treason.

Wind turbines that currently exist near her home make her feel like she is living inside a vaccum, have killed all the birds nearby and give her heart palpitations.

Its the supporter's turn.

Linda Parker of the wind energy industry is arguing that creating statewide regulation that demands a certain percentage of electricity be produced by green energy in the future is futile if the projects to produce that energy are not approved.

nancy were you talking to me? I grew up in tehachapi  35 plus years , parents still live there

Supporters are saying that the developers and technology for modern wind energy projects are different than they were years ago.

Randy Hoyle is summing up.

He said turbines will be shorter than expected, won't be built in some of the areas people thought they were going into, will shut themselves down in dangerous situation and will not have many of the impacts that residents worry about.

He said his company is not Japanse. A former name on the project, OakCreek, has a Japanese parent company. But OakCreek, Hoyle said, is not developing the project and has no interest in the project.

Oviatt is saying that misinformation has been distributed to the public about how close the project would be to the airport. It's not that close and won't interfere with the airport, she said.

The Old West Ranch project is requesting the removal of three turbines, she said, and staff would support a commission recommendation to that effect ot the supervisors.

Commissioner questions and discussion are now happening.

Hoyle said the three turbines would cost them 4.5 megawatts.

Babcock is giving us the first opinion.

"I think this is a great project," he said. "This issues with the turbines can be sorted out at a higher level."

He's saying the residents of the ranch are used to the 1980's era machines that currently exist close to them and don't have a feel for how much the technology has changed.

Pete Belloumini is speaking.

"The powers that be, over the last several decades, have put in mandates that renewable energy is something we have to pursue," he said.

He said he will support the project but would like to remove the projects near the homes before it goes to the Supervisors.

The project got approved. Commissioners have gone on to the Valley Acres project.

 But I've had to file my story and must away to the office to check in with the fine folks on the copy desk.

Have a good night all!

Timmy, I lived there when the windmills were first put in and I didn't know of anyone who approved of them.  If you lived out in that area would you want them for neighbors?  And what about all the ones sitting idle that have stopped working?  Will they ever take them out?

Some call it progress when driving past them on 58, I call it destruction of landscape.  The funny thing is they used to claim the motorcycles were damaging the land.

If you lived there for 35 years I probably knew you or your parents.  Sooner or later everyone shopped at Wards and Sears and I worked in both.

nancyII i was a little boy  back then but don't remember a lot of houses in the area then and on my way to cal. portland cement for five years  there was not many houses in there in the mid 90's. They should  have to take the ones not able to produce energy out or replace them. I wonder how many people lived in the area that work for those same companies. I am  not a big fan of  companies that take a beautiful area and destroy it in the name of a dollar. my last name is grell, I might know you and your kids. If i remember there's not alot of homes on the eastside of tehachapi/willow springs road  and only a couple of wind farms on the westside of the road. They do make an annoying sound but so does the wind.

Kids names were McGowan.  Classes of 77 and 78.  Ex was Tim Garrett who also worked at CalPortland.  

The kids used to ride dirt bikes all over there and even had a motocross track set up.  Can't do things like that ya know, you might disturb a lizard or a rat.  But the windmill people came in and took it all over..where are the lizards and rats now?

all the names sound like i know them but tring to place a face. things did change alot after that. i played in most of the hills around there and was just thinking about jobs and heck we used to shoot the rats and lizards back then and even went rat stomping tell we graduated ,those were the good ol days  mom and dads last name is stephen's