SMUD ends power deal for Coyote Creek solar project tied to environmental suit, January 5, 2026, The Sacramento Bee

By Chaewon Chung | January 5, 2026 | The Sacramento Bee

“The impacts of this project would have had on parks, on the environment, and especially on tribes, would have been devastating, and it would not have aligned with the values that SMUD has preached,” Lim said. “As far as we’re concerned, this project is still alive, even if SMUD isn’t the one purchasing the power from DESRI…our litigation is still standing because we don’t think that this project is CEQA compliant.”

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Groups file lawsuit against Sacramento County’s approval of Coyote Creek Solar Project that would wipe out 3,000 old growth oaks, January 1, 2026, SN&R

By Dan Bacher | January 1, 2026 | Sacramento News and Review

In late December, two environmental organizations, the California Native Plant Society and the Environmental Council of Sacramento, filed a lawsuit against the County of Sacramento for its recent approval of the Coyote Creek Agrivoltaic Ranch project. That initiative, also known as the CCAR, is slated for the rolling hills and grazing lands of eastern Sacramento County between Prairie City SVRA and the Deer Creek Hills Preserve.

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Environmental groups sue Sacramento County over Coyote Creek solar project, December 23, 2025, The Sacramento Bee

By Chaewon Chung | December 23, 2025 | The Sacramento Bee

Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against Sacramento County over a solar project that would eliminate up to 3,500 native and blue oak trees from the county’s last remaining intact woodlands.

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Solar site claimed as ‘bare ground’ yet thousands of trees at risk, October 30, 2025, The Sacramento Bee

By Chaewon Chung | October 30, 2025 | The Sacramento Bee

“‘When SMUD was first approached in 2021 about this project and asked to sign a power purchase agreement, they were told that this project was going to be built on bare, rocky ground … This is not bare rocky ground,'” – Sean Wirth, Co-chair of the ECOS Habitat Committee

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Sac supervisors shouldn’t just rubber-stamp SMUD’s Coyote Creek project, November 17, 2025, The Sacramento Bee

By The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board | November 17, 2025 | The Sacramento Bee

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District — SMUD — has made a mistake it is unable to extricate itself from: A lack of due diligence surrounding the site of a potential energy project by outside developer D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) has put more than 1,400 acres — and 3,700 native oak trees — at risk of destruction for a solar array that critics say was poorly planned.

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SMUD’s controversial Coyote Creek solar project moves forward, November 11, 2025, Capradio

By Manola Secaira | Capradio | November 19, 2025

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD’s) controversial Coyote Creek solar project at a packed Tuesday meeting.

Over 150 people showed up to share concerns or support over the course of hours. The solar project involves developing over a thousand acres in southeastern Sacramento County. The site lies near Rancho Murrieta and the Prairie City State Vehicle Recreation Area.

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Luz Lim, a policy analyst for the nonprofit Environmental Council of Sacramento, also spoke against the project.

“We think it is necessary to have solar development to reach our climate goals, but we also need to be strategic,” Lim said. “It doesn’t make sense that we are going to, in the name of green energy, kill thousands of blue oak trees, native trees, that have been here for a really long time.”

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