Big Wine | Monterey Supervisors approve Gallo project without
EIR
As we go to press, the Monterey Board of Supervisors voted 3 to
2 (Potter and Armenta against) to approve a 350-acre-foot reservoir
on eight acres near Soledad to accommodate a vineyard expansion
by corporate winemaker, Gallo.
Sierra Club did not oppose the vineyard expansion itself, but argued
for a thorough environmental review of this huge project The Club
called for an EIR to consider where the best site would be for the
proposed reservoir, dam and drainage ditch. The site selected by
Gallo, and now approved by the Supervisors, would require cutting
down 321 mature native oaks adjacent to a wildlife corridor. As
Supervisor Dave Potter noted, the 913,125 cubic yards of grading
required by the project is more than seen in most subdivisions and
should warrant environmental review.
The inadequate environmental analysis was further compounded by
the fact that environmental documents were arriving at the last
minute, too late for independent review. Gallo's past environmental
track record has not been sterling; the company has been assessed
significant fines in Sonoma for damage to nearby waterways. Proper
environmental review might determine a less sensitive site for the
water structures on Gallo's 2100-acre ranch.
The Monterey Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society
(CNPS) also expressed concern about the conclusions of the weak
environmental review. CNPS testified that the plan to replace lost
trees with saplings, even 2 to 1, will not replace the habitat value
and loss of biomass from destruction of the existing mature oaks.
Ecosystem services provided by mature oaks include cover and food
for wildlife, soil enrichment, increased water absorption, and slope
stabilization.
In addition, the Supervisors accepted as a "mitigation" a conservation
easement on land that is too steep to plant legally and as such
is no mitigation at all. The maps for the easement property were
misleading and drawn to make the land in question look less steep-a
fact that the Club helpfully pointed out.
The Club was joined in its concerns about this project by the United
Farm Workers who are challenging Gallo on the environmental impacts
of the project, Gallo's labor practices and the project's benefits
to the wine industry in Monterey County. Together, we called for
Gallo to be both a good steward of the land, and a good employer.
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