Destruction of Ivanpah Valley

Bechtel, one of the investors in BrightSource Energy LLC's Ivanpah Solar Energy Generating System, released photos of the project construction.  Remember, the photographs so far only show about a fraction of the total proposed project since phases 2 and 3 were halted by the Bureau of Land Management since the project's impact on the endangered desert tortoise are much higher than expected.  A revised biological assessment indicates that as many as 162 adult tortoises may be displaced or killed, and hundreds of smaller juvenile tortoises could be killed.

This photo was obtained by GreentechSolar from Becthel's website:

Photo from Becthel and BrightSource Ivanpah website. Photo shows just a fraction of Phase 1.  Less than one-third of the total destruction this project will cause.
Becthel is partnering with BrightSource and energy firm "NRG" to build the Ivanpah Solar site.  Ironically, Bechtel was also a partner in the construction of the Hoover Dam, which submerged 247 square miles of America's southwest in 1936 to quench our energy thirst.  What a shame that we have the opportunity to avoid destroying public land by choosing rooftop solar instead of ecosystem-destroying projects like Ivanpah.

Comments

  1. MacJune 8, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    Speak up for the environment, ask Ken Salazar to protect our public lands. Please join the Department of the Interior on Friday, June 10th at 2:00 pm, EDT [ or 11:00 am PDT], as Secretary Ken Salazar answers your questions at www.doi.gov/live about what they are doing to implement the AGO. To submit your questions in advance, send them to newmedia@ios.doi.gov. initiative.

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