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-Editorial
The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has filed litigation under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) challenging Imperial County’s December 9, 2025, approval of the Big Rock 2 Cluster Solar and Storage Project, citing inadequate environmental review and analysis of potential impacts associated with the 1,849-acre project.
IID’s legal action asserts that the County’s environmental documentation fails to fully disclose, analyze, and mitigate significant impacts related to water resources, including reductions in inflows to the Salton Sea, the conversion of agricultural resources—the economic base of Imperial County—and other critical environmental and public interest considerations within IID’s service area. The filing also asserts the County has established a pattern and practice of approving these types of projects without adequate CEQA compliance.
In particular, IID contends that the environmental review does not adequately evaluate how the project’s land conversion and reduction in water use may contribute to reduced Salton Sea inflows, and failed to assess the cumulative effects of similar solar development in the region that now totals more than 13,000 acres of actively farmed agricultural land since 2013, with another 11,000 acres of solar projects entitled or under development and nearly 3,400 acres of projects with pending Imperial County entitlement applications.
The District filed the lawsuit within the 30-day statutory deadline after the Board of Supervisors’ project approval – after the Imperial County Planning Commission unanimously opposed the project and despite subsequent attempts by IID representatives to resolve concerns raised during the Draft Environmental Impact Report public comment period – in order to preserve the District’s rights and ensure judicial review of the project’s environmental compliance.
“CEQA exists to ensure that large-scale projects are approved only after their environmental impacts are fully analyzed, considered, and any appropriate findings and mitigation measures adopted,” said Jamie Asbury, IID’s General Manager. “This litigation is not intended to halt renewable energy development, but rather to ensure that such development proceeds based on legally sufficient environmental analysis and informed decision-making.”
As the sixth-largest public power utility in California, IID supports responsible renewable energy development; however, the District has consistently expressed concern about the expansion of utility-scale solar development on active farmland, as reflected in IID Resolution No. 21-2025 .
IID Board Chairwoman Karin Eugenio explained further, “The conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural uses sacrifices the core of our rural community for short-term construction jobs simply to generate energy that will be exported from Imperial Valley with little to no long-term benefits for our residents. At the very least, these projects should do their part to mitigate their impacts, large or small, at the Salton Sea so as not to exacerbate environmental and public health challenges in the region.”
As the public agency charged with managing water and power resources for the Imperial Valley, IID has a responsibility to safeguard infrastructure, ratepayers, and the region’s long-term environmental sustainability. The District remains open to working collaboratively with project proponents and the County to address deficiencies identified in the environmental review.
