Southern Sierran
CHAPTER TASK FORCE TAKES ON MONTEBELLO HILLS EIR

BY MONTEBELLO HILLS TASK FORCE

The proposed development not only endangers the native gnatcatcher, but also poses serious health concerns for its potential human residents. PHOTO BY JEFF YANN

Developers have proposed a 1200 housing unit development on the last large undeveloped parcel of land in the city of Montebello, east of downtown Los Angeles. The Montebello Hills consist of roughly 487 acres of oil field property and features coastal sage scrub and threatened California gnatcatcher habitat. After years of planning, the developers Cook Hill Properties LLC and the oil company Plains Exploration (PXP) released the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for their proposal.

Montebello Hills has one of the densest populations of California gnatcatchers in Southern California. This proposal would create a donut shaped habitat, squeezing the population between the existing development and the proposed area, the fragmentation would further harm the already threatened gnatcatcher.

Besides endangering the threatened gnatcatcher, the proposed development would also place residences over an active oil field and surround them with continuous oil drilling operations and facilities. The California's Department of Conservation Oil and Gas Section supports the Sierra Club's health and safety concerns in a letter to the City of Montebello and to the Developer which says "building over or in the proximity of plugged and abandoned wells should be avoided if at all possible."

The Sierra Club has submitted comments with these and other concerns related to the proposed projects' impact, the Sierra Club also believes that the DEIR is inadequate and flowed in several areas. Given the current economic climate, the proposed project raises concerns about economic burdens and risks for current and future residents of the city of Montebello.

If you'd like to learn more about the Sierra Club's work on this issue, please contact Linda Strong, co-chair of the Save the Montebello Hills Task Force, lindacuyama@aol.com or (323)727-7189.

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