The sound of quiet popping in California
As the enviro's brains implode from the strain of thinking...
From the
Inside Bay Area:
Green battle pits redwoods against solar panels
Sunnyvale couple first in state convicted under Solar Shade Control Act
Talk about a clash of cherished green values.
In a case with statewide significance, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office cited a Sunnyvale couple under a little-known California law because redwood trees in their backyard cast a shadow over their neighbor's solar panels.
Richard Treanor and Carolynn Bissett own a Prius and consider themselves environmentalists. But they refuse to cut down any of the trees behind their house on Benton Street, saying they've done nothing wrong.
"We're just living here in peace. We want to be left alone," said Bissett, who with her husband has spent $25,000 defending themselves against criminal charges. "We support solar power, but we thought common sense would prevail."
Their neighbor Mark Vargas considers himself an environmentalist too. His 10-kilowatt solar system that he installed in 2001 is so big he pays only about $60 a year in electrical bills. He drives an electric car.
Vargas said he first asked Treanor and Bissett to chop down the eight redwoods, which the couple had planted between 1997 and 1999 along the fence separating their yards. Later he asked them to trim the trees to about 15 feet.
"I offered to pay for the removal of the trees. I said 'let's try to work something out,'" Vargas said. "They said no to everything."
He installed the panels.
After several years of squabbling and failed mediation, Vargas filed a complaint with the Santa Clara County district attorney arguing that the trees reduce the amount of electricity he can generate. In 2005, prosecutors agreed.
They sent Treanor and Bissett a letter informing them that they were in violation of California's "Solar Shade Control Act" and that if they didn't "abate the violation" within 30 days, they would face fines of up to $1,000 a day.
You cannot make stuff up that's this good. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.
Posted by DaveH at February 12, 2008 6:35 PM