On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission will consider approving the county’s first utility-scale renewable energy project. The Lompoc Wind Energy Project, proposed for agricultural land five miles southwest of Lompoc, will capture wind energy with 65 wind turbines, creating enough electricity to power about 40,000 local homes.

While there are some unavoidable biological and visual effects of the project, the Community Environmental Council believes that the project’s ability to provide 10 percent of the county’s electricity demand is a major benefit to the region.

The effects from the project are far less than building new natural gas, coal or nuclear plants, and it would greatly enhance the county’s energy grid reliability and energy independence. The county also would benefit from new jobs, cost-effective power and tax revenue.

If you support renewable energy production in our county, please let your voice be heard.

» In person at the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, Betteravia Government Center, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria.

» Remotely via video testimony in the Planning Commission Hearing Room, 123 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara.

» Via e-mail to the board assistant specialist at jopland@co.santa-barbara.ca.us or the board assistant supervisor at dvillalo@co.santa-barbara.ca.us.

» In writing by mailing comments to Santa Barbara Planning Commission, re: Lompoc Wind Energy Project, 123 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101.