Editing Shasta County, California (section)

==History==
Shasta County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. The county was named after [[Mount Shasta]];<ref name="shasta" group=note/> the name is derived from the [[English language|English]] equivalent for the [[Shasta people]]. Their population declined in the 1850s due to disease, low birth rates, starvation, killings, and massacres, as White settlers moved in.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clarke |first1=Chris |title=Untold History: The Survival of California's Indians |date=September 26, 2016 |publisher=KCET |url=https://www.kcet.org/shows/tending-the-wild/untold-history-the-survival-of-californias-indians}}</ref> The name of the tribe was spelled in various ways until the present version was used when the county was established. The {{convert|14,179|ft|m|adj=on}} peak of Mount Shasta in adjacent [[Siskiyou County, California|Siskiyou County]] to the north is visible throughout most of Shasta County. Originally within the county, it is now part of [[Siskiyou County]], to the north. Parts of the county's territory were transferred to Siskiyou County in 1852, and to [[Tehama County, California|Tehama County]] in 1856.

In 1992, the [[Fountain Fire]] burned more than {{convert|63000|acre|ha}} and destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures, including large parts of Round Mountain and Montgomery Creek. More than 7,000 people were forced to evacuate.<ref name=":43">{{Cite news |last1=Paddock |first1=Richard C. |last2=Lichtblau |first2=Eric |date=August 23, 1992 |title=Thousands Flee Wildfire in Drought-Stricken Shasta County |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-23-mn-7303-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717202032/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-23-mn-7303-story.html |archive-date=July 17, 2024 |access-date=July 17, 2024 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> Estimated losses totaled $105.6&nbsp;million (equivalent to about ${{Inflation|US-GDP|105.6|1992|r=1|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).<ref name=":39">{{Cite news |last=Jenkins |first=Don |date=August 29, 1992 |title=Fire damage estimated at $105 million |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112756302/fire-damage-estimated-at-105-million-p/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309021542/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112756302/fire-damage-estimated-at-105-million/ |archive-date=March 9, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2022 |work=[[Redding Record Searchlight]] |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112756302/fire-damage-estimated-at-105-million-p/ 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112756647/fire-damage-estimated-at-105-million-p/ 10] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

Shasta has served as the epicenter of the revived [[Jefferson (proposed Pacific state)|Jefferson State proposal]] since 2016 which wants to have Northern California and Southern Oregon form a new State.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sabalow |first1=Ryan |last2=Korte |first2=Lara |last3=Pohl |first3=Jason |title=Rural California is divided, armed for revolt. What's the matter in the State of Jefferson? |url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article246652603.html |website=[[Sacramento Bee]] |access-date=20 February 2025}}</ref> The movement is associated with the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] as its supporters argue that the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] controlled legislatures of both states have ignored the needs of the rural parts of their states.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article53355675.html | last=Koseff | first=Alexei | title=State of Jefferson supporters plan bill seeking independence from California | work=[[Sacramento Bee]] | date=January 6, 2016 | access-date=January 9, 2016}}</ref>

The Fountain Wind project, proposed by energy firm ConnectGEN LLC, includes up to 71 wind turbines, {{convert|679|ft|m}} tall, with the capacity to generate 216 megawatts of electricity.<ref name=":26">{{Cite news |last=Benda |first=David |date=June 23, 2021 |title=Shasta County panel considers big Fountain Wind farm project at Tuesday hearing |work=[[Redding Record Searchlight]] |url=https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2021/06/21/shasta-county-massive-fountain-wind-project-hearing/7774145002/ |url-status=live |access-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107192343/https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2021/06/21/shasta-county-massive-fountain-wind-project-hearing/7774145002/ |archive-date=November 7, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.fountainwind.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107192344/https://www.fountainwind.com/ |archive-date=November 7, 2022 |access-date=November 7, 2022 |website=Fountain Wind Project |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2021, the Shasta County Planning Commission voted unanimously to reject the project's use permit, followed by an appeal to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors that similarly resulted in a 4–1 vote to deny the appeal. Wildfire risks and firefighting challenges, among other issues, were given as a primary reason for the rejection of the project.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Benda |first=David |date=October 27, 2021 |title=Controversial wind farm rejected after Shasta supervisors back commission, cite fire risks |work=[[Redding Record Searchlight]] |url=https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2021/10/27/shasta-supervisors-agree-commission-and-deny-use-permit-controversial-wind-farm/8555976002/ |url-status=live |access-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107192340/https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2021/10/27/shasta-supervisors-agree-commission-and-deny-use-permit-controversial-wind-farm/8555976002/ |archive-date=November 7, 2022}}</ref> In early 2023, ConnectGen resubmitted its application to the California Energy Commission under Assembly Bill 205 which established a new certification program for non-fossil-fuel powered plants of 50 megawatts or more and related facilities.<ref>{{Cite web |author-last=Benda |author-first=David |date=September 19, 2023 |title=Shasta County's opposition to a revived Fountain Wind project gets a new ally |url=https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2023/09/19/this-county-supports-shastas-fight-to-stop-revived-wind-farm-project/70899323007/ |access-date=September 21, 2023 |website=Redding Record Searchlight}}</ref>