FLASHBACK: Harris declined to intervene on behalf of native tribe push to protect sacred site from wind farm

Vice President Kamala Harris, portion serving arsenic California’s lawyer general, declined to intervene connected behalf of efforts by section Native American tribes to support a ineffable burial tract from being turned into a upwind workplace that critics labeled a greenish vigor boondoggle.

California’s Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) voted successful 2013 to state onshore utilized for the Ocotillo Express Wind Facility arsenic a "sacred site" after proceeding respective hours of "emotional" grounds from section Native Americans who, according to East County Magazine, contended "that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management ignored their concerns and its work to support a intelligibly documented ineffable tract and cemetery successful the fast-tracked support process for the Ocotillo Express Wind Facility."

Tribal leaders astatine the clip described the Ocotillo upwind task arsenic "utter destruction," "constructed connected apical of the graves of our ancestors," and a "violation of trust."

Local Native Americans argued that the upwind installation was built connected what is known arsenic the "Valley of the Dead," which they claimed for implicit 10,000 years arsenic a tract wherever ancestral remains were buried. While immoderate tribes supported the upwind farm, the NAHC voted 4-0 to inquire Attorney General Harris to research ineligible options.

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Vice President and Democratic statesmanlike campaigner Kamala Harris sat down for an interrogation connected the raunchy "Call Her Daddy" podcast earlier this week.  (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

"I truly privation to say, ‘Dismantle it and springiness the onshore backmost to the tribes’ . . . I’d similar to inquire the Attorney General to . . . springiness this committee much teeth truthful we could say, ‘Tear that partition down,’" NAHC Commissioner Marshall McKay said astatine the time.

Then-AG Harris did not measurement successful to instrumentality ineligible enactment successful favour of the activists, instead, Harris’ bureau "determined that the Native American Heritage Commission has nary jurisdiction to bring enactment successful the signifier of a suit against a national bureau for a task situated connected national land."

"Further, the Attorney General tin nary longer correspond the Native American Heritage Commission connected the Ocotillo Project owed to a struggle of interest."

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Greenville, North Carolina - October 13: Democratic statesmanlike nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a run rally astatine the Williams Arena astatine Minges Coliseum (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Local media described Harris’ actions arsenic having "thwarted" the efforts of the tribes.

"Pattern Energy's concern upwind installation was built atop lands known arsenic ‘Valley of the Dead’ by Native American tribes for implicit 10,000 years," East County Magazine wrote.

"The Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians besides objected to the desecration of ancestral remains and persuaded the California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) that the authorities should instrumentality enactment connected their behalf, but those efforts were thwarted by California Attorney General Kamala Harris."

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Democratic statesmanlike nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the media earlier boarding Air Force Two aft assessing the Hurricane Helene betterment effect successful North Carolina connected October 5, 2024. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The Ocotillo upwind workplace installation has had a litany of problems including information issues and shut-downs. Those information issues included instrumentality spraying lipid crossed the ineffable site, turbines catching fire, and 1 operation catastrophically losing a blade. In 2021, BLM temporarily shut down the works aft its 2nd operation illness successful 5 years.

Questions person besides been raised whether the upwind workplace installation has adjacent delivered connected its promised greenish vigor benefits aft it fell abbreviated of its capableness forecast three years successful a row and prompting experts to wonderment whether the request for the works was simply "spin."

"It was heartbreaking to spot this task desecrate specified a historically and culturally important landscape, and it’s adjacent worse erstwhile you find retired that it was built connected mendacious claims by the developer, and with the assistance of the BLM. "Anthony Pico, Chairman, Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, said, according to East County Magazine.

"Does economics trump justness successful this country? I judge it does, and that profoundly saddens me,’ Pico told commissioners during the showdown. "I cannot understand, we cannot understand, however national and authorities institutions who person trusted fiduciary work to Native Americans, allowed the utter demolition of arguably the richest taste assets successful our state successful Ocotillo Valley.’"

Fox News Digital reached retired to the Harris-Walz run for comment.

"The Ocotillo Wind installation began operations 12 years agone aft it was designated by the U.S. authorities arsenic a captious assets for protecting the country’s vigor security. The captious cleanable vigor installation brought 370 jobs to Imperial County and provides capable cleanable energy to supply powerfulness for 300,000 Americans each twelvemonth without immoderate emissions oregon h2o use," a spokesperson for Pattern Energy told Fox News Digital. "Ocotillo Wind uses American-made upwind turbines that generated much than $20 cardinal successful income taxation gross for Imperial County and the authorities of California. Over the archetypal 20 years of operations, Ocotillo Wind expects to make much than $100 cardinal for section taxing jurisdictions, with Imperial County, Imperial Valley College, and the Imperial Unified School District being important beneficiaries."

 "The Ocotillo installation was cautiously sited to not straight interaction taste resources portion supporting America’s vigor needs. During development, the institution spent 3 years cautiously planning, listening to the assemblage and addressing feedback done galore task revisions, which resulted successful a last plan that received the enactment of galore section residents, officials and Native American Tribes."