Kern County planning commission recommends Buttonbush solar and storage project to supervisors

The Kern County Planning Commission voted 4-0, with one commissioner absent, on Feb. 12 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors certify the environmental impact report and approve land‑use entitlements for the Buttonbush Solar and Storage Project.

Planning staff told the commission the project would develop roughly 11,983 acres across 128 parcels north of the Buttonwillow area and would produce about 2 gigawatts of photovoltaic capacity paired with about 16 gigawatt‑hours of battery storage. Staff said the proposal includes multiple conditional use permits, six permits for microwave towers, cancellations of 37 Williamson Act land‑use contracts (about 10,689 acres), and changes to the Kern County General Plan circulation element and the Buttonwillow community development plan.

Staff also summarized the environmental review. A draft and a final environmental impact report were prepared under the California Environmental Quality Act; staff noted the final EIR comprises multiple volumes and outlines 79 mitigation measures. Staff reported that some impacts would remain significant and unavoidable in categories including aesthetics,…