Citizens opposed to industrialized wind turbines submit moratorium request to Shasta County Board of Supervisors 

The Citizens in Opposition to the Fountain Wind Project (CIO FWP) is a Citizens’ Action Group that is working to stop the proposed Fountain Wind Project in Shasta County. Many residents and communities in Shasta County do not know there is yet another Industrial Wind Turbine project (The Fountain Wind Project) that is more than twice as many turbines of the Hatchet Ridge Development which will encompass about 30-43 thousand acres located in the forested regions which are rated High (4) to Very High (5) fire hazard zones by CALFIRE.

The proposed Fountain Wind Project will be located near the communities of Montgomery Creek, Round Mountain, Oak Run, Moose Camp, Big Bend, and Wengler on leased timberlands. The proposed turbines will be up to 591 feet tall (150 taller than the Hatchet Ridge Turbines) with up to 100 turbines (over twice as many as Hatchet Ridge) sitting as close as 1300 feet to numerous property lines and crossing Hwy 299 on your scenic drive to the Intermountain area from Redding. These turbines will be able to be seen from numerous communities around the County including other surrounding Counties.

In review of the Fountain Wind Project local residents sent a formal request to the Board of Supervisors to adopt an immediate moratorium on all County ‘Use Permits’ for large scale Wind Energy Generation Developments, and/or Wind Energy Systems, or Industrial Wind Turbine Developments), including the permit for the proposed Fountain Wind Project in Shasta County. We believe the passage of a moratorium is warranted at this time because of the issues outlined : the increased wildfire threat and ongoing State efforts to reduce it, the lack of an area specific or countywide emergency evacuation plans, the devastation to our wildlife and local Bald eagle, spotted owl and other avian impacts, the damage to our Native American heritage and history, the Round Mountain CAISO Transmission Plan upgrade which identifies grid instability issues including thermal overload that won’t be completed until late 2024, the PG&E bankruptcy and its efforts to shed existing renewable power purchase agreements (PPAs) and the time needed to address maintenance issues, the fact that PG&E has enough renewable energy until at least 2030 and is not soliciting for any additional renewables through 2019 and may be further out, and the lack of adequate County Zoning codes, General Plan, and Open Space updates with public input for Industrial Wind Turbine developments.

The CIO FWP has requested that the Shasta County Planning Department, Planning Commissioners, and Board of Supervisors, through the formal moratorium, make the positive and necessary updates to protect the Shasta County residents and communities. We believe these types of developments need to be addressed by ALL of the Shasta County residents, including obtaining County-wide public input and independent scientific studies, which will expose how the numerous environmental, financial, health, cultural, and general welfare negative impacts of the Fountain Wind Project (including future Industrial Wind Turbine projects) will not benefit the residents or communities. If Shasta County representatives do not support the moratorium and take time to study these numerous and life-changing issues regarding these type of projects Big Wind developers will continue to target Shasta County with additional developments overtaking whole communities and residents.

The CIO FWP invites you to learn more at our monthly potluck meeting, held the second Tuesday of each month at the Hill Country Community Clinic Great Room, beginning at 6:00 in Round Mountain.

Additional information on how you can get involved, sign the online petition, and send letters to your representatives requesting they support the moratorium can be found at Stop Fountain Wind