The Sacramento Municipal Utility District — SMUD — has made a mistake it is unable to extricate itself from: A lack of due diligence surrounding the site of a potential energy project by outside developer D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) has put more than 1,400 acres — and 3,700 native oak trees — at risk of destruction for a solar array that critics say was poorly planned.
But it’s not too late yet for Sacramento County to knock back DESRI and SMUD’s plan and reverse this potential environmental catastrophe slated for our own backyard. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and the lead land use planners for the project will meet Nov. 18 to decide whether to approve its environmental review.
This is the last chance for Sacramento to correct this error: The supervisors need to send this plan back to the drawing board…