Pattern Energy Group LP says the Federal District Court for the Southern District of California ruled in favor of the Ocotillo Wind project and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in two separate suits.
Pattern says the court granted it and the BLM summary judgment motions in a case brought by the Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation and in a separate case brought by several other parties, including the Desert Protective Council.
In issuing its decisions, the court denied the challenges to the Ocotillo project and dismissed each of the many claims that had been asserted against the project by the plaintiffs.
The court concluded that the BLM and Pattern conducted thorough studies of the effects of the project and had adopted appropriate mitigation measures to avoid or minimize the project's impact.
‘These rulings confirmed that we and the BLM followed the rules, working with Native American tribes, community groups and local residents during the development process,’ says Mike Garland, CEO of Pattern Energy. ‘We remain committed to building a renewable energy project responsive to the concerns of the local community and respectful of the environment and local cultural resources.’
The Ocotillo Wind project, a 265 MW wind power project in Imperial Valley, Calif., has 94 turbines that are operational. The remaining 18 turbines will be installed in the spring, Pattern notes.
