Dates to watch

MONTEREY — There are deadlines and dates affecting the proposed industrial wind energy utility; as updated this week, they include:

• July 27 — The date by which building official Jim Whitelaw must approve or deny Highland New Wind Development's erosion and sediment control plans. Whitelaw started a rejection letter this week, and the county attorney recommend he go ahead and reject the plans, but Whitelaw decided to wait; by press time this week, he had not made a decision.

• July 23 — The board of supervisors meets with the planning commission on other matters, but may set a date for a called meeting to decide whether to extend HNWD's conditional use permit.

• Aug. 3 — The next meeting of the Technical Review Committee, at 4 p.m., location to be announced, for further review of HNWD's progress in meeting its conditions.

• Aug. 17 — Potentially, this is the date HNWD's conditional use permit expires. County attorney Melissa Dowd has not confirmed the date, but says it's probably correct. Supervisors have the authority to extend the permit for any length of time, and any number of times, if they choose.

• Dec. 20 — The date HNWD's state permit expires. On Dec. 20, 2007, The State Corporation Commission issued the company a two-year limit for meeting all conditions attached to the state permit and getting construction started.