October 18, 2020
Key Meetings This Week For North Livermore
Solar Policy Discussion: Tomorrow, Monday, October 19th at 2:30 p.m.
On Monday, October 19th, at 2:30 p.m., Supervisors Scott Haggerty and Nate Miley will review recommendations from the Agricultural Advisory Committee concerning the development of a policy governing where solar power plants in rural areas of the County may be located.

We request you participate at the meeting - which is easy, the meeting will be by Zoom.

Please ask that the Supervisors to put on hold the solar plants proposed for North Livermore Valley until the county solar policy is completed. The public will have the opportunity to make comments during the meeting.

It defies common sense for the County to develop a comprehensive policy for utility-scale solar facilities on rural land after the County reviews individual proposals for massive solar plants in North Livermore Valley. The County is needlessly pitting expansion of renewable energy against the equally important environmental goals of protecting our agricultural land, open space and wildlife habitats.

Again, the meeting will be conducted by Zoom. Here is the meeting information:

Online Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/99151312430

By phone only: Toll Free 1(877) 853 5257

Webinar ID: 991 5131 2430
Review of 1st Industrial Solar Project: Thursday, October 22nd at 1:30 p.m.
The first large-scale solar power plant proposed for North Livermore, called Sunwalker/Livermore Solar, will be reviewed by the East County Board of Zoning Adjustments on Thursday, October 22, 2020, at 1:30 p.m.

The Board has the power to approve or reject the project. If the Board approves the plant, it could set the precedent for the conversion of North Livermore Valley from open space/agricultural land to an industrial zone.

The public will have the opportunity to speak at the meeting which will be conducted via Zoom.

It is vital that all of us attend and speak at the meeting. Your message can be as simple as:

Utility-scale solar power plants are not a proper use of the land in North Livermore Valley. Under Measure D, the agricultural lands of Alameda County are to be preserved and protected from “excessive, badly located and harmful development.” The proposed solar facility is badly located and harmful. On agricultural land, we grow food and raise animals. That is impossible if the land is covered with thousands of solar arrays. North Livermore Valley is an agricultural area and it should remain one.

Online Zoom link:

By phone only: (669) 900-9128 or (253) 215-8782

Webinar ID: 92158285462
Take Action: Contact County Officials
Save North Livermore Valley has called on Alameda County officials to halt the review of the solar power plants proposed for North Livermore Valley until the County develops a comprehensive solar policy. We are joined by Livermore Mayor John Marchand, Fremont Councilmember Vinnie Bacon, Dublin Mayor David Haubert, the Tri-Valley Conservancy, Friends of Open Space and Vineyards, Friends of Livermore and the Alameda County Agricultural Advisory Committee.

We now need members of the public to make the same request. If we act together, we can save our valley.

Please click the green "Email County Officials" link to send your message.
Here is suggested text you can cut and paste into your email message:

I request that Alameda County adopt a comprehensive policy for large-scale solar facilities in rural areas. Until the policy is completed, the County should place on hold the review of the solar power plants proposed for North Livermore Valley. 

Utility-scale solar power plants are not a proper use of the agricultural land in North Livermore Valley. Under voter-approved Measure D, the agricultural lands of Alameda County, including North Livermore, are to be preserved and protected from “excessive, badly located and harmful development.” The proposed solar facilities are badly located and harmful to the the valley. On agricultural land, we grow food and raise animals. That is impossible if the land is blanketed by solar arrays.

North Livermore Valley is an agricultural area and should remain one. Approval of the proposed solar power plants could create the precedent for the conversion of the valley into an industrial zone. The scenic beauty, natural habitat and open space of North Livermore Valley belong to all of us and must be preserved for future generations.

Please add a subject line, such as Reject Solar Power Plants in North Livermore Valley, and your name and city of residence to the end of the message.
Extensive Communications Between Intersect Power and Supervisor Haggerty's Office Revealed

According to a recent article in the Livermore Independent representatives of Intersect Power believed Supervisor Haggerty signaled his support of its massive Aramis industrial solar power plant long before the environmental impact report was completed and any hearing on the project has occurred.

Based on email messages produced pursuant to a public records request, the Livermore Independent revealed extensive communications dating back to September 2017 between Intersect Power and the Supervisor's office.

"Company representatives sought [Supervisor Haggerty's] help to smooth out issues concerning serious limitations on the project imposed by Measure D. As opposition grew, Aramis representatives checked in to ensure support was still in place," the Independent reported.

North Livermore Valley Is A Priority Conservation Area

In Los Angeles County, utility-scale solar power plant are prohibited from being located in Significant Ecological Areas. This action was undertaken to conserve the genetic and physical diversity within the county.

In the Bay Area, the Association of Bay Area Governments has designated Priority Conservation Areas. These are areas that are regionally significant open spaces vital to the Bay Area’s natural systems, rural economy and the health of all residents. One of the largest Priority Conservation Areas is North Livermore Valley.

Alameda County, however, does not prohibit utility-scale solar power plants from being located in PCAs, or even on environmentally important agricultural land.

It's past time for Alameda County to catch up with LA County and nearby Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties. All three counties have adopted plans that expand renewable energy while preserving open space, wildlife habitats and environmentally important agricultural land.
A Massive Industrial Solar Power Plant
The cover page (left photo) to the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Aramis Solar Energy Generation and Storage facility seeks to create the image that the site will be an agricultural zone consisting of sheep grazing among widely spread out solar panels.

This is all marketing: it will be an industrial power plant.
The Aramis project is unprecedented. To our knowledge, no utility-scale solar power plant of its magnitude - over 320,000 solar arrays spread across 425 acres of agricultural land on a total project area of nearly 750 areas - exists in the San Francisco Bay Area.
This image, taken from an Intersect Power video, begins to provide a more accurate visualization of the Aramis site. Additional solar arrays will be constructed to the north and south.

Look closely at the image. The solar arrays are densely packed together. No fields exist for sheep to graze among the solar panels. That would, of course, run counter to Intersect Power's profit incentive to maximize the amount of electricity generated.

Furthermore, Intersect Power's visualization omits significant details that we have added in red text: miles of security fences and internal access roads, overhead electrical transmission lines and towers, and lithium-ion battery stations.

The overhead electrical transmission lines and towers will be positioned in multiple locations. The average height of the towers will be 5 stories, with some reaching 10 stories. Aside from the permanent visual blight created by the overhead transmission lines, high winds are common in the area and could bring down transmission lines, sparking fires. 
In addition, the Aramis project calls for the installation of scores of trailer-truck size lithium-ion battery stations. This will create a new wildfire risk in the valley. Explosions and fires have occurred at battery stations worldwide, including one last year in Arizona that sent nine first responders to the hospital.
The above facts on the Aramis project can be found in the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the project. The report can be accessed on the County Planning Department’s webpage for current development project applications. The report is listed under Environmental Impact Reports as Aramis Solar Energy Generation and Storage Project, PLN 2018-00117.

The public may submit written comments (which can include objections to the analysis and conclusions) concerning the report no later than November 2, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Please send your comments via email to Andrew Young at andrew.young@acgov.org with “Aramis Solar Energy Generation and Storage Project EIR” in the subject line.
The Beauty of Our Valley
Just a short drive or bike ride from the City of Livermore and north of Highway 580, the North Livermore Valley has been zoned for agricultural and rural residential uses since the 1950s.

For nearly the same period Alameda County has recognized North Livermore Avenue in its General Plan as a scenic corridor and sought to preserve the area’s outstanding scenic quality. 
About Save North Livermore Valley

We started as a group of farm and ranch families and other members of the North Livermore Valley Rural Community. We have been joined by over 175 concerned residents in the City of Livermore and Tri-Valley area united for the purpose of preserving the open space, agricultural land and wildlife habitat of North Livermore Valley for future generations.