Backcountry residents sue to halt 588-acre solar and battery storage project

A backcountry community group has filed a lawsuit to block the construction of a proposed solar and battery storage project that would industrialize about 588 acres in unincorporated East County, arguing the development’s environmental review was flawed.

An association of residents of the community of Boulevard and the surrounding Mountain Empire region — dubbed the Back Country Community Alliance for Responsible Development — are objecting to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors’ recent approval of the Starlight Solar Project.

First proposed by the developer in 2022, the project includes a solar farm capable of generating up to 100 megawatts and a 217-megawatt battery energy storage system, constructed in two phases.

The community group last week filed a petition in San Diego Superior Court, arguing the project violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and failed to disclose or mitigate the risks of toxic plume exposure from a battery thermal runaway event.

Residents of the unincorporated town have opposed the development, citing concerns that clean energy projects continue to put their safety at risk.