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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmailed Comment from Brian Zitt1 Brandon DeCriscio From:Brian Zitt <brianzitt@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, December 1, 2025 2:31 PM To:Shaun Temple Subject:Request for a full Environmental Review of the Hellman Solar Project Follow Up Flag:Follow up Flag Status:Completed Dear Mr. Temple and Members of the Seal Beach City Council, I am writing as a nearby resident who strongly supports renewable energy and who also cares deeply about the protection and restoration of Southern California’s remaining wetlands. Because of that, I am concerned about the proposed Hellman Solar PV Project and respectfully urge the City to require a full Environmental Impact Report before moving forward. I understand from the City’s Initial Study that the project would install a 1.5-MW ground-mounted solar array on about 2.66 acres of the Hellman oil field site, just north of PCH. While the study emphasizes that no mapped wetlands occur within the project footprint, it also acknowledges that the site sits immediately adjacent to Los Cerritos Wetlands and other water bodies, and that protected species, including least Bell’s vireo, Belding's savannah sparrow, and burrowing owls have been detected within close proximity to the project area. Even when infrastructure is built just outside a wetland boundary, changes in lighting, noise, human activity, and habitat structure can affect wildlife behavior, nesting success, and long-term restoration outcomes. In this case, the project lies next to one of the most important remaining coastal wetland complexes in Southern California, within an area actively planned and managed for restoration. I don’t think those broader, indirect, and long-term implications are adequately addressed at the Mitigated Negative Declaration level. I am also concerned about potential long-term impacts to birds that deserve a closer review. Recent studies, including work summarized by the California Energy Commission, indicate that photovoltaic solar arrays can attract and injure birds, particularly waterbirds, by visually mimicking water surfaces (the so-called “lake effect”) and through collisions with panels and associated infrastructure. Nighttime lighting associated with facilities is another well-documented source of bird disorientation and collision risk during migration, especially near wetlands and river corridors like Los Cerritos and the San Gabriel River. While the Initial Study briefly touches on this, it largely dismisses them based on project size and panel design, without proposing site-specific analysis, monitoring, or adaptive management. I want to be clear that I understand this is a PV project, not a concentrating solar facility like Ivanpah, and I am not suggesting the same solar-flux burn risks; however, the lessons learned from past solar projects underscore the need for caution and taking on a thorough analysis when placing energy infrastructure next to sensitive habitats with protected species. With current scientific uncertainty, especially for wetland-adjacent PV projects, this feels exactly like the kind of situation CEQA intended to be addressed through a full EIR. 2 Finally, I am concerned that approving a long-lived solar installation at the edge of Los Cerritos Wetlands could limit future restoration and sea-level-rise adaptation options in a landscape where every remaining transition zone matters. A more comprehensive review is needed to look at alternatives, cumulative impacts, and consistency with long-term coastal and restoration goals. For these reasons, I respectfully ask the City Council to grant the appeal and require the preparation of a full Environmental Impact Report. Doing so would not stop the City from supporting clean energy, it would ensure that they remain responsible stewards and that renewable energy development here is truly compatible with the protection and recovery of one of our region’s last remaining wetlands. Thank you for taking the time to consider these concerns. Brian Zitt Resident of Huntington Beach, Ca -- "Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, can we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved." - Jane Goodall