Wind Turbine Review Ordered
Plans for a controversial wind turbine that would tower over the city of Palmdale must undergo a full environmental review to study its potential harm to birds, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled.
The 320-foot turbine was proposed by the Palmdale Water District to power a water treatment plant, but the plan has run into opposition from residents who believe it would be an eyesore.
In December, Palmdale filed a lawsuit calling for a full environmental review of the project.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Yaffe ruled Tuesday that the water district has sufficiently addressed aesthetic questions in its environmental filings thus far, but that the possibility of harm to birds needs to be revisited. The city’s suit contended that the wind turbine would act as an “aerial buzz saw” for diving raptors.
The water district board will decide whether to forge ahead with the project at a meeting Monday, General Manager Dennis LaMoreaux said.
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