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Politics : Politics of Energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RetiredNow who wrote (10762)	7/6/2009 5:59:45 PM
From: longnshort	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86355

It will be in the courts for years, if not decades

To: RetiredNow who wrote (10762)	7/6/2009 7:36:56 PM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86355

Feinstein (not in the GOP) Seeks To Block Solar Power From California Desert Land digg Huffpost - Feinstein Seeks To Block Solar Power From California Desert Land stumble reddit del.ico.us ShareThisKEVIN FREKING \| March 21, 2009 07:21 AM EST \| Compare other versions » Compare 07:21 AM EST07:13 AM EST and 07:21 AM EST07:13 AM EST versions I Like ItI Don’t Like It Read More: California, Mojave Desert, Solar Power, Green News facebook Share this with friends on Facebook.com! In this Friday, July 22, 2005 file photo, a rainbow forms in rainy skies over State Highway 178 between Death Valley National Park and the town of Shoshone, Calif. More than 500,000 acres in the Mojave Desert would be off-limits to wind or solar energy production under legislation Sen. Dianne Feinstein intends to introduce. The land is coveted by companies seeking to develop alternative energy, setting up a potential clash with one of the more powerful members of Congress. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) Get Breaking News Alerts never spam Share Print CommentsWASHINGTON — California's Mojave Desert may seem ideally suited for solar energy production, but concern over what several proposed projects might do to the aesthetics of the region and its tortoise population is setting up a potential clash between conservationists and companies seeking to develop renewable energy. Nineteen companies have submitted applications to build solar or wind facilities on a parcel of 500,000 desert acres, but Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Friday such development would violate the spirit of what conservationists had intended when they donated much of the land to the public. Feinstein said Friday she intends to push legislation that would turn the land into a national monument, which would allow for existing uses to continue while preventing future development. The Wildlands Conservancy orchestrated the government's purchase of the land between 1999-2004. It negotiated a discount sale from the real estate arm of the former Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railroad and then contributed $40 million to help pay for the purchase. David Myers, the conservancy's executive director, said the solar projects would do great harm to the region's desert tortoise population. "It would destroy the entire Mojave Desert ecosystem," said David Myers, executive director of The Wildlands Conservancy. .... huffingtonpost.com

To: RetiredNow who wrote (10762)	7/6/2009 7:38:45 PM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86355

"No project has yet made it through the BLM’s permitting process." Are some solar projects no longer ‘green’? Conservationists worry that a plan for the Mojave desert will upset species’ habitats. By Ben Arnoldy \| Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor/ September 25, 2008 edition Ivanpah Valley, Calif. Solar companies proposing large power plants in the Mojave Desert are facing opposition from conservationists. They say a rush to build solar here threatens to tear up large tracts of desert habitat and open space. The squabble is likely to intensify now that Congress this week moved forward on a long-term extension of the solar tax credit. Two other proposed bills would fast-track solar power projects looking to build on federal lands. State mandates on utilities to provide more renewable energy has created an enormous market for solar, an energy that requires two things the Mojave has in spades – acreage and sunshine. But the desert’s defenders argue that solar panels should be located on city rooftops rather than pristine lands. “If there were just one [proposed plant], we could deal with that. But we are looking at essentially every valley that is not protected as a national monument or park as being a potential site for solar,” says John Hiatt, a Las Vegas-based environmental activist. “It will be the industrialization of the Mojave Desert.” The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has received some 200 applications to build solar plants on federal land in recent years. In California alone, there are 80 proposals involving 700,000 acres. “It’s a land rush,” says Greg Miller, the renewable energy program manager in the BLM’s California office. “The 80 [California proposals] I’m mentioning are just those who are first in line. We’ve got another 40 or more on top of that [who] are betting the company in front of them will lose out.” No project has yet made it through the BLM’s permitting process. Overwhelmed, the agency tried this summer to put a moratorium on new applications. “I don’t see us putting 80 solar projects on BLM land, there’s no way. I don’t see us putting 30,” says Mr. Miller, who notes the agency must manage the land for multiple uses. “And I hope the solar industry hears me on that.” The BLM’s pace has displeased some in Congress. Rep. Jon Porter (R) of Nevada introduced a bill last week that would limit the BLM’s permit process to 180 days. And Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R) of California is proposing doing away with environmental impact reviews. This can't be true. Mindmeld tells us Republicans like these are THE opponents of renewable projects. Its impossible that these Republicans could pushing on their behalf .... unless he's FOS about that GOP business. Hmmm. Mr. Rohrabacher says he is trying to “make sure that people who have something to offer other human beings [won’t] be stymied because the BLM thinks insects or reptiles are more important.” Currently, all eyes are on the Ivanpah Valley, where BrightSource Energy, Inc. has proposed a concentrated solar facility that is furthest along with the BLM. BrightSource wants to build 400 megawatts of solar generation using hundreds of thousands of mirrors across 3,400 acres. Walking in Ivanpah Valley, Mr. Hiatt points out the nearby Mojave National Preserve as well as various developments within view. These include a natural-gas power plant, a golf course, and the Nevada town of Primm. The dry lake at the bottom of the valley could become the home of a second major airport for Las Vegas, prompting Mr. Hiatt to question whether the mirrors will blind pilots. BrightSource’s application says all vegetation within the fields of mirrors “will be cut to the soil surface to reduce the risk of fire.” Hiatt says that will cause long-term soil damage. With the removal of vegetation goes habitat for some rare species, including the golden eagle, American badger, and the desert tortoise. The desert tortoise is protected under both federal and state endangered species acts. BrightSource’s application outlines a 20-point proposal for mitigating impacts on tortoises, including relocating them from burrows. The company also plans to offset the loss of habitat by paying to set aside an equal amount of land elsewhere. .... features.csmonitor.com

To: RetiredNow who wrote (10762)	7/6/2009 7:43:51 PM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 86355

In a Small Fish, a Large Lesson In Renewable Energy's By STEPHEN POWER WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama wants to boost the nation's production of energy from the sun as part of an effort to double renewable power generation in three years. Among the obstacles to Mr. Obama's agenda: the imperiled Devil's Hole pupfish. Patrick Putnam is a field manager for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in southern Nevada. His job is to help the government decide whether the dozens of solar-energy projects that companies have proposed building on federal land in his jurisdiction pose undue environmental risks. After reviewing some applications for as long as 18 months, Mr. Putnam's office hasn't approved any. He says his office hopes to make decisions on at least three by the end of 2010, but that will be "a monumental task." .... online.wsj.com