The Blog

Welcome!

Hello to All who have come to our blog. It’s November 20, 2024 and we can’t wait to get started. We are a neighborhood organization of concerned citizens in Twentynine Palms, California. We have come together to educate our fellow citizens, the general public, and elected city leaders about the issues related to a proposed commercial-scale solar power plant in the midst of our city limits. Many citizens have voiced their opposition to the plant. The “Why We Are Opposed” section of this website summarizes the main reasons why city leaders should maintain the existing ban on industrial solar power in our city and deny the developer, E-Group, its request. We love solar power! It’s this particular plant that poses a problem. For starters, the site is located where a thriving population of the endangered Desert Tortoise resides.

Check back often for news and information about what you can do! There is plenty. This project is by no means a done deal. Thank you!

  • HUGE Planning Meeting next Tuesday Feb. 17

    Greetings!

    Next Tuesday’s Planning Commission meeting will be a major moment in the E-Group Solar Farm approval process and a major opportunity to make opposition voices heard.

    See Agenda items here. Note how much material the Planning Commission is being asked to vote on! The packet contains hundreds of pages of detailed information that is largely brand new to us. The content of those pages will largely determine whether the solar plant will be built and what parameters apply if the project goes ahead. It’s a lot.

    SO: Do the best you can to prepare a 3-minute comment on whether you want the Planning Commission to deny the project, approve it, or receive more time to read and understand the all-important, suddenly released materials. Chose one or more issues you are concerned about to talk about. Dust? Tortoise impacts? Community character? Aesthetic impacts? Something else? Fill out a comment card in the lobby outside the meeting room and hand it to a staff member before the meeting begins at 5 sharp.

    Where: Twentynine Palms City Hall, 6136 Adobe Road

    When: Tuesday February 17, 5:00 pm

    Also: The Desert Trumpet is requesting that you send them the letters you all have written recently in response to the Draft Environmental Impact Report. They would like to include excerpts in the Planning Commission Agenda Preview. Please consider forwarding your letters to: editor@deserttrumpet.org. Letters need to be sent by 5PM today (Friday).

    And if you haven’t joined our Facebook group, we could use as many members as possible. If you are already a member, forward to anyone you know who might be affected by this ill-advised project.

    Thanks!

  • Planning Commission Meeting Tonight: Great Opportunity to Listen, Learn, and Be Heard!

    The folks at Desert Trumpet trumpeted an important news flash this morning. Tonight’s Planning Commission meeting starts at 5 p.m. and as always is taking place at City Hall on Adobe Road in downtown Twentynine Palms. Come, listen, learn, and be heard!

    Tonight’s meeting will be short-it will go straight to Public Comments. To speak, fill out a green comment card and hand it to the staff (you will see cards in the foyer outside the meeting room.) Residents have 3 minutes to speak.

    This is a perfect opportunity to express your thoughts about the proposed E-Group solar farm. What are the risks to our community? What are the benefits? Why is the project being considered at all? As a community, we are free to say Yay or Nay to the Developer. This is the time to be heard!

    Have a good day!

  • UPDATE: DEIR comments accepted through the weekend

    If you didn’t get your DEIR comments in yesterday, here is some good news. Comments will still be accepted over the weekend if you email them in.

    Submit comments to: Keith Gardner, Community Development Director at this address: kgardner@29palms.org

    Copy the City Clerk on your email by cc’ing Cindy Villescas at cvillescas@29palms.org

    Thank You!

  • Solar Farm DEIR Sample Letters

    Apologies. Previous the post left out the sample letters you can copy, personalize, and send to the City during the comment period. Please excuse our error. Here you go:

    Not sure what to say?  Here are some sample comments for you:

    Example 1

    I support the No Project Alternative because the DEIR admits significant and unavoidable visual harm. This would degrade our scenic desert community and negatively impact the JTNP gateway economy.

    Example 2

    Please choose the No Project Alternative. Twentynine Palms is extremely windy, and mass grading on the scale disclosed in the DEIR (a volume of ~528,000 cubic yards or ~50,000 dump trucks) creates unacceptable long-term dust and health risks for nearby residents and community spaces.

    Example 3

    I urge the City to choose the No Project Alternative because the DEIR shows the project would require mass grading of pristine desert soil in a wildlife corridor that includes desert tortoise habitat. This would cause long-term habitat loss and harm to our rare local population of the endangered desert tortoise.

    Thank you!

    Submit comment letters by Thursday Jan 22 to:

    Keith Gardner, the Community Development Director of Twentynine Palms

    email: kgardner@29palms.org

    Mail: Keith Gardner, Community Development Director
    City of Twentynine Palms
    6136 Adobe Road
    Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

  • Solar Farm DEIR Comments Due Thursday!  

    The comment deadline for the E-Group solar plant is January 22, 2026. That is this Thursday! Please if you haven’t already, write a short letter to the City of Twentynine Palms stating why the DEIR (Draft Environmental Impact Report) is deficient and whether the project should be more carefully assessed or stopped now. The DEIR paints a picture of what’s to come if we do not slow down or stop the project as it is currently unfolding. We potentially have a perfect (dust) storm on our hands because the project involves (apologies):

    Here are the steps to take:

    1. Download the DEIR from the City Website portal found here
    2. Read the DEIR or skim it to the best of your ability. The document is supposed to be accessible to you under CEQA. If you have difficulty downloading it or find it difficult to navigate or read, TELL THE CITY. Ask them for help. You can also find a copy of the DEIR at the library as well.
    3. Submit your comments to:

    Email: Keith Gardner, the Community Development Director of Twentynine Palms at:  kgardner@29palms.org

    Mail / hand-delivery:
    Keith Gardner, Community Development Director
    City of Twentynine Palms
    6136 Adobe Road
    Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

    Here are some key takeaways from the DEIR:

    MASS GRADING – The project would involve leveling the varied topograpy. This would involve moving over half a million cubic yards of soil to a wavy-NOT FLAT-landscape). This is a controversial and uncommon practice in the solar industry. Generally flat sites are selected for solar farms.

    SOIL THAT IS PARTICULARY SUSCEPTIBLE TO EROSION – The site is situated on unconsolidated alluvial sediments. This is a recipe for erosion.

    A WINDY SETTING – we all know how windy Twentynine Palms is. The city is downwind from the solar farm and any dust storms would head in the direction of the main populated areas of the city.

    PROXIMITY TO NEIGHBORS AND COMMUNITY SPACES WITHIN CITY LIMITS (neighbors lie just 1400 feet away. Two mile road and Highway 62 are within easy walking distance. The 29 Palms cemetery is only about 2000 feet away. Stater Brothers and commercial corridor are right down the street from there.  

    Add this up, and we can begin to see what the effects of this project on our community would be. But add to that: The E-Group solar plant is proposed to be located inside occupied desert tortoise habitat where a healthy population of tortoises now lives. PLUS, this particular desert tortoise just happens to be part of a crucial wildlife corridor linking the marine base and JTNP. Wildlife needs this corridor. Much of it has already been developed or is threatened by other projects (including the Ofland Resort project.) The last thing the desert tortoise—and other wildlife in our region needs is a huge industrial solar power plant with mass grading of pristine desert soil.  

    CHECK OUT THE DEIR AND SEND IN YOUR COMMENTS BY JANUARY 22.

    TELL A FRIEND! The q

    SCROLL DOWN TO THE NEXT BLOG POST FOR LETTER SAMPLES THAT YOU CAN CUT® EDIT ® PASTE ® SEND

  • Comment Deadline for Solar Project DEIR: Act Now!

    BACKGROUND:

    A large industrial-scale solar facility is being proposed near homes in Twentynine Palms (north of Two Mile near Harmony Acres.) The site is on pristine desert soil close to homes, roads, and not far from the Stater Brothers supermarket on Encelia and Highway 62.

    The site is occupied desert tortoise habitat. The site is not flat land, rather, it is a wavy, rolling landscape with rocky outcroppings. Therefore, the project now calls for “MASS GRADING” – a huge amount of earth moving. to level out the land. Mass grading of this scale has been problematic, even within the solar industry.

    Now the City has released a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). You can read it here. Remember: This project is not inevitable. Due to its large environmental impact, it is very controversial. Even so, the project may well be approved. Learn what is happening and help them make a wise decision! Public comments are due January 22, 2026!

    Why your voice matters

    If you live near the project, your personal experience and concerns help the City and agencies understand real impacts. Even a short letter counts. If you do not live in Twentynine Palms, your thoughts still matter. We can all make a difference!

    Key issues

    • Mass grading: The developers have misrepresented this site as “flat. Now the DEIR discloses ~528,000 cubic yards of earth moved — roughly 50,000 dump trucks of soil. with this level of earthmoving the desert cannot be restored to its natural desert condition.
    • Desert tortoise: The DEIR identifies the site as occupied desert tortoise habitat. Mass grading and the other planned industrial-scale changes threaten tortoises in this important piece of occupied habitat.
    • Dust & health: Twentynine Palms is windy. Mass grading can create fugitive dust (including fine particles) during construction and potentially for years during operation/maintenance and later decommissioning. Dust storms could be more frequent and severe.
    • Homes & sensitive receptors: Nearby residents, kids, seniors, people with asthma, and “quiet-use” places like the cemetery can be affected.
    • Wildlife corridor: The site functions as habitat/movement area (including desert tortoise and other species). Fencing and mass grading can fragment habitat so wildlife cannot move through their range as they require.
    • Alluvial fan / drainage: This is a dynamic desert landscape with washes. Grading can change erosion, flooding patterns, and sediment movement.
    • Economy & community character: The DEIR acknowledges Significant and Unavoidable aesthetic impacts. Dust/visibility and gateway impacts can affect tourism, Highway 62 travel experience, and property values.
    • The DEIR classifies the project as causing “permanent aesthetic damage which cannot be avoided.” This by itself is sufficient reason to deny project approval.

    To Download the DEIR go to the City Website and click on the large button on the Announcements page  https://www.ci.twentynine-palms.ca.us

    Note: CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) requires the DEIR to be reasonably easy to read and accessible so community members can participate in the review process before decisions are made. If this project DEIR is not reasonably accessible to you, let the City staff know.

    What to write (6–12 sentences is plenty)

    Include:

    1. Who you are: If you are a resident of our city, say “I live in Twentynine Palms.” Your comments do matter even if you are not a local resident.
    2. Your concerns (pick 2–4): Major issues include mass grading (moving soil), dust, health, wildlife corridor/tortoise, drainage, property values, cemetery/quiet-use.
    3. What you want: End the approval process now? Stronger enforceable protections and a more complete analysis in the Final EIR?

    Sample short comment (you can personalize and copy/paste this)

    I am a Twentynine Palms concerned about the proposed E-Group PS solar power plant. The project DEIR discloses mass grading of roughly 528,000 cubic yards (a volume of around 50,000 dump trucks) of soil in a location close to homes, roads, and community spaces such as the Twentynine Palms cemetery. The project site is also in a wildlife corridor where a thriving population of desert tortoise lives. In our windy desert town, this project raises serious concerns about dust, roads, public health, aesthetics, and our endangered desert tortoise and other wildlife. Please do not remove our existing ban on solar power development in city limits. I urge the City to choose the No Project alternative to protect our community and natural environment.

    Where to send your comment:

    • Email: Keith Gardner, the Community Development Director of Twentynine Palms at:  kgardner@29palms.org
    • Mail / hand-delivery:
      Keith Gardner, Community Development Director
      City of Twentynine Palms
      6136 Adobe Road
      Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
    • Deadline: January 22, 2026 (send early if possible)

    Want help?

    Still not sure what to say?  Here are some other sample comments for you:

    Example 2

    I support the No Project Alternative because the DEIR admits significant and unavoidable visual harm, and mass grading at this scale (~528,000 cubic yards) would add dust and degrade Twentynine Palms’ desert character and JTNP gateway economy.

    Example 3

    The DEIR includes a “No Project/No Construction” option. I urge the City to choose it because the mass grading and dust risks are too high for a windy community next to homes and community spaces. Maintain the ban on industrial solar development that has been in place since 2012.

    Example 4

    Please choose the No Project Alternative. Twentynine Palms is extremely windy, and mass grading on the scale disclosed in the DEIR (~528,000 cubic yards / ~50,000 dump trucks) creates unacceptable long-term dust and health risks for nearby residents and community spaces.

    Example 5

    I urge the City to choose theNo Project Alternativebecause the DEIR shows the project would require mass grading of about 528,000 cubic yards of soil(roughly 50,000 dump trucks) in a wildlife corridorthat includes desert tortoise habitat. This would cause long-term habitat loss and increase dust impacts in our windy community.

    Deadline is January 22, 2026

    Send your comments in EARLY!

  • Solar Plant Approval Under AB205: A Very Rare Event

    Location of proposed E-Group Solar Plant

    Reasons are mounting that circumventing the city under State Assembly Bill 205 would not give E-Group’s solar plant an easy path to approval. In addition to doubts that the plant could generate enough electricity to qualify and pass environmental review, there is now this: AB 205 has almost never been used! Therefore, the Twentynine Palms community has free choice to act in our own best interest and just say “No” to E-Group’s proposal.

    City officials should be extra careful to avoid spreading inaccurate information. Our officials must help citizens understand that: (1) E-Group’s solar power plant would not necessarily be approved under AB 205 for numerous reasons, and (2) in the event that it did grant approval, the State process would afford our community enforceable compensation and protection.

    How many solar farms have been approved under AB 205 to date? The answer is: One. And it was approved only a few weeks ago, on June 11, 2025 (2025, State of California). Why is this a big deal? It is a big deal because E-Group announced its intention to build the plant in a letter framed as an ultimatum:

    “In the event that the City elects to maintain its current moratorium and not work with E- Group, E-Group will pursue approvals through the permitting process recently established through Assembly Bill 205, which is intended to facilitate the approval of renewable energy projects by the State without any local approval. If approved by the State, the City will have far less control over project design and conditions of approval and would receive substantially less in public benefits. While this is not E-Group’s preferred outcome, it is willing to vigorously pursue this route if needed.” (City of Twentynine Palms, 2023)  

    At the time of the letter, zero power plants had been approved under AB 205. It appears that AB 205 is not a glide path to solar plant approval as E-Group had implied. Not only is approval as rare as hen’s teeth, but the only power plant that has been approved bears little resemblance to E-Group’s.

    Here are a few of the differences between the one project that did garner approval under AB 205 and the project that our City has been asked to permit:

    • Difference Number One: The permitted plant is a huge 1,150-megawatt (MW) solar facility that will make an enormous impact on California’s overall solar energy capacity (State of California, 2025). Our community’s project would be much smaller at 50 MW (City of Twentynine Palms, 2024). Thus, our plant’s contribution to the state’s energy needs would be a drop in the bucket.
    • Difference Number Two: The approved project is to be built on previously disrupted soil that is no longer able to support agricultural production. E-Group proposes bulldozing our pristine desert soil, removing the precious desert crust that keeps soil in place. The land would be denuded of ancient creosote bushes, and its documented Desert Tortoise population would be threatened.
    • Difference Number Three: The AB 205 approved project has crafted concrete and extensive community and economic benefits that have been agreed to by diverse stakeholders. For example, the developer is bound to contribute: $2 million in Community investments over the next decade starting with a $320,000 commitment to Centro La Familia Advocacy Services, a nonprofit supporting crime victims, family wellness, and civic engagement in rural communities (State of California, 2025). By contrast, E-group has committed to a modest annual payment of between 100 and 150 thousand dollars to the City Council, who would decide how the money is spent. E-Group has thus not provided any guarantees to citizens that the funds would be used in ways they want.
    • Difference Number Four: The approved plant will be designed, owned, and operated by Intersect Power and its subsidiary Darden I LLC. These are both large American companies with deep experience in solar power development and operations in California, the greater United States, and globally. They have an extensive internet presence, a great reputation, many awards and certifications, many employees, and clear contact channels. See https://www.intersectpower.com/who-we-are/ Compare the Intersect Power organization to the little-known, tiny Slovakian company E-Group with its nearly invisible web presence. E-Group is apparently mainly a financial company with expertise in funding portions of renewable energy plants but no in-house resources dedicated to actually building and operating entire plants. They have never completed a project in California or in the United States.

    Let us not be afraid that E-Group’s questionable project will be foisted on our City if we don’t want it. We are free to choose—together—what is best for our community.  

    References

    1. State of California. (2025, June 12). CEC Approves World’s Largest Solar + Battery Storage in Fresno County Under Accelerated Permitting Program. California Energy Commission. https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2025-06/cec-approves-worlds-largest-solar-battery-storage-project-fresno-county-under
    2. City of Twentynine Palms. (2023, May 23). Staff Report. Retrieved from https://citwentynine-palmsca.civicweb.net/document/31666/
    3. City of Twentynine Palms. (2024, February). Notice of Preparation and Initial Study. (https://www.ci.twentynine-palms.ca.us/vertical/sites/%7BAE145833-008D-4FBA-AEC7-7D0EBD90E334%7D/uploads/Revised_29_Palms_Solar_IS-NOP_2.20.241.pdf

  • Two Big Meetings To Attend this Week

    Hello Neighbors and Friends of Twentynine Palms, California!

    There are a couple big meetings this week relating to the two intertwined development projects we are watching: The industrial scale solar power plant proposed by E-Group and the Ofland Resort Project. Show up, learn, participate, meet-and greet, and most of all: Make you voice heard!

    THE FIRST MEETING – CITY COUNCIL – TUESDAY 5:15 PM

    What: The first meeting to attend is the E-Group Solar Project Update and Workshop on the Community Benefits Package. How does E-Group propose to compensate our community if the solar plant were to be permitted? Come to this City Council meeting to get the latest, and please comment during the public comments section of the meeting.

    You can prepare yourself for the meeting by reading this preliminary report on the proposed benefits package: https://citwentynine-palmsca.civicweb.net/document/134432/E-Group%20Solar%20project%20update%20and%20workshop%20on%20Co.pdf?handle=44B1A4770F354DEA8854448DBE24CC7C

    Where: 6136 Adobe Road Twentynine Palms, CA 92277, Council chambers

    When: Tuesday June 24, 2025, 5:15 pm

    THE SECOND MEETING – PLANNING COMMISSION – WEDNESDAY, 5PM

    What: This is a special meeting of the City of Twentynine Palms Planning Commission. Members of the public have the right to speak (three minutes for each member of the audience). The issue being decided is whether developers of the Ofland Resort will be given a mitigated negative declaration (MND). If the City does grant them the MND, Ofland will be allowed to skip the extensive environmental review process which would otherwise be required.

                There is strong opposition to granting Ofland an MND. You can read all about the issue here. Have a look at the Initial Study discussing project impacts. Also read letters from the public detailing their heartfelt and well-reasoned objections as well as the responses from the City.  https://citwentynine-palmsca.civicweb.net/document/134470/

    Where: 6136 Adobe Road Twentynine Palms, CA 92277, Council chambers

    When: Wednesday June 25, 2025, 5:00 pm

  • Town Hall Meeting in 29P Gives Citizens Space to Discuss Ofland Resort, Solar Farm, and More

    The Morongo Basin Conservation Association along with the Indian Cove Neighbors Organizing Committee hosted a town hall meeting on Saturday May 31, 2025 at the Twentynine Palms Community Center to discuss proposed developments including the Ofland Hotel Resort and the industrial-scale solar power plant proposed by Slovakian energy developer E-Group. These two projects have a lot in common. Both projects seek to commercialize a patch of scenic desert that lies just east of Lear Avenue in Twentynine Palms. This piece of land is habitat for a thriving population of the Desert Tortoise (an endangered species) and lies within city limits–providing beautiful natural views, open space, other benefits to nearby residents and passers-by. Neither development has been permitted by the City of Twentynine Palms but developers have submitted their applications and review is underway. Getting buy-in from local residents and their elected representatives is an integral part of the permitting process too. Residents are organizing to express their opposition.

    If you were not able to make it to the meeting, you can find a detailed discussion of the conversation in an excellent article in our local publication The Desert Trumpet titled:  Finding Balance Town Hall Recap: A Morongo Basin Conversation on Development in Our Ecosystem, authored by Eleanor Whitney. See https://www.deserttrumpet.org/p/finding-balance-town-hall-recap-a

    Overall, the meeting had a “focus on community engagement, representation, and development.” As the article in the Desert Trumpet stated:

    Representation, education, and community involvement were major themes of the afternoon and the Town Hall had an overall proactive tone. Guest speakers and community members brought up multiple ways that residents can stay informed, get involved, speak up, and push back against proposed developments, as well as create a proactive, positive vision for development. However, they also concurred that there could be more transparent lines of communication when it comes to development, especially at the county level.

    Speakers emphasized that, in order for public opinion to count, it is important for citizens to come to the planning commission meetings and city council hearings in Twentynine Palms. This is ultimately where the decisions are being made made about the solar plant, Ofland resort, and other development projects in our community. After all, civic engagement is our right, privilege, and joy–as well as our best hope for making wise decisions that best serve us all.