The Center for Biological Diversity and a consortium of groups in the Morongo Basin have each filed a lawsuit against the Town of Yucca Valley, challenging the town's approval of a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Hi-desert Star reports.
The lawsuit asks that the town be forced to pull the approval and have a new environmental impact report prepared.
Jonathan Evans of the Center for Biological Diversity said in a release that the company has set goals to be 100 percent powered by renewable energy, but refuses to incorporate cost-effective features like solar panels which will reduce its carbon footprint for the proposed stores in the California desert.
However, Wal-Mart Inc. Southern California spokesman John Mendez says that isn't true. He says the company is adding solar-energy systems to 22 stores in California and Hawaii.
The environmental impact report notes the store will use skylights, dimmers and a white membrane roof to reflect sunlight and reduce cooling needs, but the report also found that the town's air quality would be disturbed by emissions from equipment and dust during construction.
