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From:Jose Guevara
To:Clerk of the Board
Subject:Solar Farm project
Date:Sunday, October 25, 2026 9:20:10 PM
Date: October 25, 2026
To: The Butte County Board of Supervisors
25 County Center Drive, Suite 205
Oroville, CA 95965
(Sent via email to: Clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.ca.gov and District Supervisors)
Subject: Strong Opposition to Proposed Community Benefits Agreement & Demand for Full
Environmental Review – North Chico Solar / Skyway Solar Farm Project
Dear Members of the Butte County Board of Supervisors,
As a local resident, I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed 1,700-acre
Skyway Solar Farm (North Chico Solar Project). I respectfully urge the Board to reject or
indefinitely defer any endorsement or commitment regarding the proposed Community
Benefits Agreement (CBA) at this time. Agreeing to a CBA before the developer has even
submitted a formal application or completed a comprehensive environmental review leaves
our county completely in the dark regarding the true long-term impacts on our community.
While renewable energy is an important asset, this specific location—an extraordinary, fragile
foothill landscape between Chico and Paradise—is entirely inappropriate for an industrial
complex of this magnitude. I ask the Board to stand with its constituents on the following
critical points:
• Severe Wildfire and Safety Risks: The project area sits inside a High Fire Severity Zone.
Replacing a vital natural fire buffer for our hill communities with half a million solar panels
and a massive battery energy storage system (BESS) creates severe ignition risks and threatens
critical evacuation corridors.
• Irreversible Ecological Damage: The current project design requires the clear-cutting of
thousands of slow-growing, native Blue Oak trees, the destruction of unique local habitats, and
the complete obstruction of the largest deer herd migration corridor in California.
• Threats to the Tuscan Aquifer: The 1,700-acre industrial footprint overlays seasonal streams
and acts as a critical replenishment area for the Tuscan Aquifer. The resulting soil compaction
and runoff threaten the primary water resource for local agriculture and household
consumption.
• Bypassing Local Control: By planning to apply directly to the California Energy
Commission (CEC), the developer is explicitly attempting to circumvent county zoning rules,
environmental standards, and local public oversight.
A financial token through a premature CBA cannot replace a science-based environmental
review or true public participation. I urge you to preserve the County's legal right to challenge
this project, refuse the CBA, and direct County staff to aggressively engage with the CEC to
demand full mitigation and protection for Butte County's residents.
Sincerely,
Jose Guevara
6280 lancaster dr
Paradise ca 95969.