Appeal Denied In Waste Management Suit: On July 3, 2012, the Fifth District Court of Appeal affirmed a trial court decision , denying challenges filed by El Pueblo Para El Aire Y Agua Limpio against the Kings County Board of Supervisors and Chemical Waste Management, Inc. The petition for writ of mandate challenged the Subsequent EIR prepared for the County’s approval of an expansion of the Kettleman Hills Facility, which is one of only two currently active permitted hazardous waste disposal facilities in California. The petition alleged that the project’s health-related impacts were not adequately analyzed, the daily truck traffic baseline was inflated, and the cumulative impacts analysis did not analyze all existing operations at KHF as related projects.
First New SAR Helicopter At NAS Lemoore: A Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter touched down at Naval Air Station Lemoore for the first time in years last month.
The Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawk is the first of three helicopters that will comprise the new SAR unit. With the establishment of the new unit, NAS Lemoore will soon be able to provide search and rescue capabilities to support the open water training requirements of the 15 strike fighter squadrons based at the air station.
“The SAR unit gives us the ability to take care of our own personnel and aircraft when they operate over the Pacific Ocean’s training ranges,” said Capt. Eric Venema, NAS Lemoore Commanding Officer.
The training ranges off the coast of central California have been under-utilized because of the cold water temperatures. The SAR unit will also cover inland training ranges.
The helicopter was transferred to NAS Lemoore from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Six based at NAS North Island. About 30 active-duty Navy personnel will be assigned to the unit that will be operational in October.
Hanford Costco? A Fresno based developer has filed a General Plan Amendment with the City of Hanford to develop a 500,000 sf shopping center anchored by “discount club” retailer, presumably a Costco. The application for a 58 acre parcel at the northwest corner of Hwy 198 and Hwy 43 includes the 150,000 sf store and second major anchor.
Costco is not named as the tenant and there is some doubt the retailer would select that site or even come to town.Comments on the project were due to city July 3. A hearing will be scheduled.
Hanford’s Wastewater Treatment Solar Farm is under construction this summer. The one megawatt solar farm cost $4.3 million to construct but an agreement with Chevron Energy Solutions is a lease purchase agreement. The city received $1.64 million California Solar Initiative funding to be used to help pay for the project and savings from the power not purchased will add up to$89,000 a year to the city, explains staffer John Doyel. In year 16 through 20 the city will save over $500,00 each year.The city owns the unused property next to their WWT plant. Hanford joins other Valley cities using solar to offset power costs at their WWT plants including Tulare,Dinuba and soon Visalia.
City of Lemoore is in the process of approving new residential projects including one of the few towns of its size with several active new home subdivisions. Also this summer the city is expected to approve a new180 unit apartment complex in town reflecting investor expectation the town will grow as the Navy air based continues to adds more people.
Kings Waste and Recycling Authority will gain title to 22 acre owned by the city of Lemoore south of their waste water treatment plant.That site was to be leased to Full Circle Energy for installation of a solar farm but the company defaulted on the agreement. As of July 25 the 22 acres will revert to KWRA as part of an earlier in JPA agreement.