Oroville planning commission certifies mitigated negative declaration for three-site solar project amid Superfund and health concerns

The Oroville Planning Commission on Nov. 10, 2025 certified a mitigated negative declaration and advanced related permits for a three-site solar project that includes the former copper Superfund parcel, a 50-acre site on South 7th Avenue (the "Sillers" site), and an added 16-acre Reynoso parcel. The commission voted 5-0, with two members absent, to adopt the environmental determination and move forward with the project (motion recorded at SEG 828-840).

Staff said the project had been pulled in October to allow a more thorough California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review; that review is now complete and the mitigated negative declaration (MND) and mitigation monitoring and reporting program are in the packet (SEG 058-066, SEG 090-093). Staff reported four comment letters were received during the public review period, including from the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the copper-site managers; staff said those comments do not require additional analysis in the MND but the city biologist recommended adding a pre-construction 500-yard survey for the tricolored blackbird as a…