Courthouse News Service, Rebekah Kearn
LOS ANGELES (CN) – Wind energy companies bulldozed a black family’s house because they were the sole holdouts who refused to sell out to a huge wind farm, the family claims in court. Darlene Dotson and her sons David and Daniel sued EDP Renewables North America, Horizon Wind Energy Co., Rising Tree Wind Farm, CVE Contracting Group, and Renewable Land LLC, on May 7 in Superior Court.
The family wastes no time in getting down to specifics. “Plaintiffs in this action are the victims of a multinational energy developer who refused to accept ‘No’ for an answer,” the 32-page complaint begins. “The heart of the issue is that the Dotsons own property in Mojave that is sought after by EDP Renewables for windmills, and they refuse to sell,” the family’s attorney Morgan Stewart told Courthouse News.
Mojave, pop. 4,300, is 50 miles east of Bakersfield, below the Tehachapi Mountains, on the edge of the immense Mojave Desert. “The home on the property was a family home they used for family vacations and gatherings. EDP pressured them to sell, but they still refused,” Stewart said. “The house was damaged several times when they were away. And then one time when they went back to the house they found that it had been demolished, scraped to the foundations, along with all of their belongings. The companies did it. “We see it as intentional because EDP needed the property for the wind farm, but the Dotsons wouldn’t sell,” Stewart said. Read article
I hope they win the case. What’s interesting… they threaten to surround the home with wind turbines to lower the property values — But wind companies claim that it doesn’t lower property values 🙂
MPAC says the presence of wind turbines doesn’t lower property values either!! We lost our case, before the A.R.B. this spring, due to the position espoused in MPAC’s most recent “study”. Maybe the truth lies elsewhere ie; the presence of homes and families reduces the value of Wind “Farms”. Maybe that’s why THEIR assessments are set so low!! I guess some of us have to “make up the difference” for the loss in municipal revenue!
Did you actually get a copy of the MPAC study/data?
Another oops! Really….,
I would hang on to the land and make them pay hard for the priceless things they lost.
And the cost of a new home ( at today’s prices to rebuild not what they think it was worth.)
Just goes to show you how deep these companies have gone that they get away with anything.
This is outrageous!
In the U.S. a jury could award this family millions in damages. This would be a civil law action case but a jury trial can still be had.
Likely will be settled out of court.
Bingo!
Double speak came full circle.
Like ERT lawyer saying reduced home values is why people get sick…..
If their municipality is anything like many here in Ontario (CORRUPT), the municipality will not issue a building permit. There is NO DOUBT in my mind that this wasn’t purposefully done by the wind company. Great to finally hear from the wind industry, that wind turbines reduce property values. I hope MPAC gets the memo!
The Wildlife News, May 7, 2013
Human activities tearing up the Mohave and Sonora desert sets loose potentially lethal spores.
Valley fever, a lung infection, caused by a soil fungus is on the increase in these areas where wind and solar projects are being installed.
http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/05/07/valley-fever-a-growing-threat-to-sw-desert-hikers-hunters-rock-hounds-nature-buffs-atvers-residents
Best to stay inside on windy days in these areas. And wind can carry spores quite a distance.
Rising Tree Wind Farm, Kern Co., California
The land dates back to California’s 1938 federal Small Tract Act homestead days with leases up to 5 acres for a house or cabin. Build dwelling and get the land free. The 3,000 acre tract had more than 250 land owners.
http://www.nawindpower.com/issues/NAW1505/FEAT_06_EDP-Renewables-Is-Undeterred-By-Rising-Tree-s-Colorful-Past.html
KCET, California, May 1, 2013
“Uh Oh: Valley Fever Outbreak Linked To Solar Development”
Scroll down to:
Valley fever is more prevalent in the Central Valley & “a potential increase in valley fever constitutes a serious environmental justice issue”
http://www.kcet.org/news/redefine/rewire/solar/solar-development-linked-to-valley-fever-outbreak.html
Remove the desert vegetation to install wind and solar projects which leaves the ground bare and then these fungus spores are picked up by the wind.
Also workers installing these developments are at risk due to the soil disturbance needed.
It only takes one spore breathed in to cause a lung infection.
You should see what one fungus spore can become when it germinates. I worked with culturing fungus spores for about 3 years.
The results of the Hydro one survey are in!!! Here is the link to my blog post about the survey and my summary of the results. Thanks to everyone who answered my survey about hydro one. Have a good long weekend.
https://tyeselectricityblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/15/hydro-one-survey-and-summary-of-results/
Note to Snowball….. Yes! We DID have MPAC’s latest “study”! It was upon this study that MPAC based it’s arguments of why Industrial Wind “Farms” have NO NEGATIVE IMPACT on property values! It formed the major element of MPAC’s argument and, therefore, constituted a major portion of MPAC’s “evidence”! Since the MPAC board is appointed by the current LIBERAL provincial government, the A.R.B. could come to no other conclusion since, to do so, would “open the floodgates” to many other property owners to attack the same “study”! This was only the result of “round one”! We’re not giving up!!
I’m glad you’re not giving up John! All complicit players in this huge injustice want us all to give up, but our tenacity will ultimately show them that they do not get to do this to rural residents of Ontario!
Thanks John. Let me rephrase.
Has anyone you know received the raw data they used to come to their study conclusions?
Thanks, and I agree with Sommer, keep on fighting and keep exposing this!
Snowball….. As far as I know, only those who appealed their assessments, on the basis of the intrusion of wind “farms”, received this report. It’s about a 1/2 in thick and, I’m sure, too expensive to be widely disseminated by MPAC. At least I’m convinced that would be the argument!
Further…. It’s interesting to see that one whole section was devoted to attempting to discredit Ben Lansink’s study from Melancthon and Clear Creek. Obviously, they saw Mr. Lansink’s conclusions to be both damaging and detrimental to THEIR conclusions AND their methodology!
Is the Lansink part too many pages to post? The more people that see this the better!