KERN COUNTY PLANNING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT RISING TREE WIND ENERGY PROJECT This page intentionally left blank. July 2011 ii Initial Study/<strong>Notice</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Preparation</strong>
1. <strong>Project</strong> Description KERN COUNTY PLANNING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT RISING TREE WIND ENERGY PROJECT The applicant, <strong>Rising</strong> <strong>Tree</strong> <strong>Wind</strong> <strong>Farm</strong> LLC proposes to develop the <strong>Rising</strong> <strong>Tree</strong> <strong>Wind</strong> <strong>Farm</strong> <strong>Project</strong> (the <strong>Project</strong>) for the commercial production <strong>of</strong> up to 285 megawatts (MW) <strong>of</strong> energy from up to 95 wind turbine generators (WTGs). 1.1 <strong>Project</strong> Location The <strong>Project</strong> is located three (3) miles west <strong>of</strong> Mojave, California in the southeast portion <strong>of</strong> unincorporated <strong>Kern</strong> <strong>County</strong> (Figure 1). It is bordered by existing wind energy generation facilities to the west and north, and Oak Creek Road and the recently approved Alta-Oak Creek Mojave <strong>Wind</strong> <strong>Project</strong> to the south. Parcels bordering the Los Angeles Aqueduct form the eastern edge <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Project</strong> site. The primary turbine and equipment delivery route will be along Oak Creek Road and Tehachapi Willow Springs Road from State Highway 58. Direct site access will be via 70th Street West and 67th Street West from Oak Creek Road. The land surrounding the <strong>Project</strong> site consists <strong>of</strong> undeveloped desert scrub, existing wind energy generation facilities constructed from the 1980s until present, and the Los Angeles Aqueduct. The nearest multi-dwelling development is a residential development along Douglas Avenue west <strong>of</strong> Mojave, 1.3 miles from the eastern boundary <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Project</strong> site. Individual residences and other structures are also within the <strong>Project</strong> boundary. The Mojave Air and Spaceport is located four (4) miles east <strong>of</strong> the eastern boundary <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Project</strong>. The <strong>Project</strong> is located on the U.S. Geological Service 7.5 minute Mojave and Monolith Topographic Quadrangles. On the Mojave Quadrangle the <strong>Project</strong> is located In Township 12 North, Range 13 West, in portions <strong>of</strong> Sections 35 and 36 and in Township 11 North, Range 13 West, on Sections 1 through 3, 10, 11, 14 and 15. On the Monolith Quadrangle, the <strong>Project</strong> is located in Township 11 North, Range 13 West, on Sections 9, 10, 15 and 16 (Figure 2). 1.2 Environmental Setting The <strong>Project</strong> site consists <strong>of</strong> 3,278 acres, <strong>of</strong> which 2,750 acres are private land under the jurisdiction <strong>of</strong> <strong>Kern</strong> <strong>County</strong> and 528 acres are public land administered by the Bureau <strong>of</strong> Land Management (BLM). The applicant currently leases or owns a substantial portion <strong>of</strong> the private lands on the <strong>Project</strong> site. The site lies within the boundaries <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Kern</strong> <strong>County</strong> General Plan (KCGP) and the Mojave Specific Plan (MSP) (see Figure 3 for General Plan designations). The <strong>Project</strong> site has the following KCGP designations: Lands in the area have the following KCGP and MSP designations: 1.1 (State or Federal Land), 4.1 (Accepted <strong>County</strong> Plan Area), 5.6 (Residential Minimum 2.5 Gross Acres/Unit), 5.7 (Residential Minimum 5 Gross Acres/Unit), 5.7/2.4 (Residential Minimum 5 Gross Acres per Unit/Steep Slope), 8.2 (Resource Agriculture), 8.3 (Extensive Agriculture), 8.3/2.5 (Extensive Agriculture/Flood Hazard), 8.3/2.4 (Extensive Agriculture/Steep Slope), 8.4/2.4 (Mineral and Petroleum/Steep Slope), 8.4/2.5 (Mineral and Petroleum/Flood Hazard), and 8.5 (Resource Management). Elevations <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Project</strong> site range from 3,150 to 3,651 feet above mean sea level (msl). The <strong>Project</strong> would be situated on the lower slopes <strong>of</strong> Cameron Ridge and the Horned Toad Hills, which have a maximum elevation <strong>of</strong> over 4,800 feet. The southern portion <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Project</strong> site is relatively flat while the northern portion is more topographically diverse, with a number <strong>of</strong> ridges oriented northwest-southeast. There are several small desert washes that traverse the area. July 2011 1 Initial Study/<strong>Notice</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Preparation</strong>
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