Imperial County planning commission recommends certification of final EIR, forwards three Ormat permits to supervisors amid objections from environmental group

The Imperial County Planning Commission voted to recommend certification of a final environmental impact report and to forward three conditional use permits for a proposed Ormat Technologies geothermal and solar project to the Board of Supervisors after a public hearing that included objections from environmental consultants.

The final environmental impact report before the commission was dated May 2025, and planning staff and project consultants said it includes mitigation measures and responses to public comments submitted during the draft EIR review. Tim Yanivas of HDR Engineering, who presented the EIR on behalf of the applicant, said the draft EIR public review period ran from Aug. 14, 2024, to Jan. 13, 2025, and that the final EIR includes responses to comment letters from agencies including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Imperial Irrigation District and the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District.

The EIR identifies several environmental topics with potentially significant impacts — including agricultural resources,…