Chapter 21.04 — TITLE, AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE

This title shall be known as the Inyo County Renewable Energy Ordinance. (Ord. 1158 § 3, 2010)

Article XI, Section 7 of the California Constitution empowers Inyo County ("county") to make and enforce within its limits all local, police, sanitary and other ordinances and regulations not in conflict with general laws. The county's police powers extend to all lands within the county. The police powers of the county of Inyo include:

• A. Protection of the environment of Inyo County, including biological and other natural resources, aesthetics, recreational attractiveness and availability, traditional social activities and values of the citizens of the county, housing, public services, utilities, and economic potential within the county;

• B. Traditional authority over the use of land within the county, where such authority is not preempted by federal or state law;

• C. The public trust doctrine under which the county is empowered to exercise its police power to protect natural resources such as streams, lakes, marshlands, tidelands, wildlife and other resources.

• (Ord. 1158 § 3, 2010)

• A. It is in the public interest to support, encourage and regulate the development of solar and wind resources for the generation and transmission of clean, renewable electric energy. By this title, the county intends to: (1) support and encourage the responsible development of its solar and wind resources to generate and transmit clean, renewable electric energy while protecting the health, safety and welfare of its citizens and its environment, including its public trust resources, by requiring that the adverse impacts of such development are avoided or acceptably mitigated; (2) recover the county's costs of increased services resulting from such development; and (3) ensure that the citizens of Inyo County equitably share in the benefits resulting from the use of such resources.

• B. To support, encourage and facilitate the responsible utilization of its solar and wind resources for the generation and transmission of clean, renewable electric energy, the county encourages potential developers of such resources to work with the county and to enter into a mutually agreeable renewable energy development agreement in lieu of applying for the issuance of a renewable energy impact determination or a renewable energy permit.

• (Ord. 1158 § 3, 2010)

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Inyo County, CA

RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT

§ 21.08.010

§ 21.08.050