Yucca Valley Sued Over Wal-Mart Environmental Impact

August 5, 2008

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The Center for Biological Diversity and a consortium of groups in the Morongo Basin have each filed a lawsuit against the Town of Yucca Valley, challenging the town’s approval of a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Hi-desert Star reports.

The lawsuit asks that the town be forced to pull the approval and have a new environmental impact report prepared.

Jonathan Evans of the Center for Biological Diversity said in a release that the company has set goals to be 100 percent powered by renewable energy, but refuses to incorporate cost-effective features like solar panels which will reduce its carbon footprint for the proposed stores in the California desert.

However, Wal-Mart Inc. Southern California spokesman John Mendez says that isn’t true. He says the company is adding solar-energy systems to 22 stores in California and Hawaii.

The environmental impact report notes the store will use skylights, dimmers and a white membrane roof to reflect sunlight and reduce cooling needs, but the report also found that the town’s air quality would be disturbed by emissions from equipment and dust during construction.

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Reader Comments

I would like to see more stores, restaurants, and businesses in the high desert — yes, even a Super Wal-Mart. The majority of us on the military base already take most, if not all of our business, to Palm Springs/Palm Desert. Opening more here would mean that all of that money that is already going down the hill would be spent in YV/JT/29 Palms instead. There are 25,000 Marines and family members who would be putting money into the high desert economy if only we had access to what we want HERE. If you don’t want to put in a Target, Super Wal-Mart, etc., then fine – I’ll just continue to spend all of my money down the hill.

Marisa | September 29th, 2008

Lets get it built. Super Walmart would be a fine store to have in the high desert. I’m so upset that I have to pay the prices that the union stores have to offer. Please two, TWO Stater stores in Yucca. It would be a dream come true to have a super store open in Yucca Valley. Great products offerd and a good price. Please this is getting very silly. Maybe we can sue the people who are suing the walmart project. I believe the mass said yes, why do a few get to stop a project we want. Lets sue them back. They are not smarter, they just have more time on there hands. We may need to come together and stop these fanatics. We are the working people who need this store. We may need to shut these guys up with a law suit.

Ted | May 16th, 2009