Wind Project’s Heavy Equipment Damages Desert

On August 28, Parke Ewing, an Ocotillo resident, took photos of heavy equipment being operated by Pattern Energy employees who are building the Ocotillo Wind Express Energy Project. The machinery is plowing over and crushing vegetation, and natural drainage is being altered, according to Ocotillo residents.

The land, which belongs to the Bureau of Land Management, was once carefully guarded by BLM rangers, with signposts at the trailhead of each dirt road, warning, "Off Road Activity Prohibited.”

Ocotillo residents will be in federal court on September 7 in an attempt to halt the destruction.