Mojave Desert Blog

The Sierra Club filed a legal challenge against California's approval of the Calico Solar power project, arguing that the California Energy Commission (CEC) rushed the environmental review without full consideration of the impacts on wildlife and without identifying adequate mitigation measures.   The petition--filed with the California Supreme Court on 30 December--represents the first legal challenge by a national environmental organization against a destructive solar facility, setting a precedent that utility-scale solar facilities should not be exempted from the same standards environmental organizations apply to other forms of energy -- wise use of public land and preservation of fragile ecosystems.   The petition lays out arguments that could easily apply to other solar projects proposed for pristine desert habitat in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. Tessera Solar LLC recently sold its development rights for the Calico site to K Road Solar LLC ,  but the Sierra Club's ac

Even though Senator Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) proposed California Desert Protection Act 2010 ( CDPA 2010 or S.2921 ) did not pass this year, her office plans to continue efforts to push the legislation through this year.  According to a Press-Enterprise article, the Senator concluded last year's Congressional session by stating " I have had a 20-year vested interest in the desert -- in seeing that it's protected and that what solar is there is appropriate for the area and does not destroy the flora, the fauna, the beauty...I am steadfast in that regard." If passed, the legislation would create two new national monuments, and set aside thousands of acres of additional wilderness areas. The Senator's legislation (S.2921) was a welcome ray of hope in an otherwise grim outlook for desert conservation in 2010.  During the frenzy of final business in Congress, there was a possibility that CDPA 2010 would find its way into the now-doomed omnibus l

This photo was taken in the Western Mojave Desert near the city of Adelanto.

What is the difference between a hydropower dam that submerges vast swaths of public land to feed our energy needs, and several massive utility-scale solar energy facilities that fragment pristine desert habitat? Both count as "renewable energy" They will both require costly and destructive transmission lines They drive endangered species closer to extinction and upset the health of entire ecosystems Utility-scale solar and wind power facilities are not the "guilt free" answers to global warming.   The blessing of solar and wind is that it is scalable--we can put solar panels and wind turbines in our back yard, in the middle of cities, and on rooftops.  Until we realize this potential, we are stuck in the same destructive energy paradigm that brought us the Glen Canyon Dam, dwindling fish stocks, and submerged wilderness.   But this time the the bulls-eye will be on the Mojave Desert as bulldozers make way for fields of mirrors and solar panels.  This is not the

In a surprise move, Tessera Solar LLC sold its development rights on 7.2 square miles of pristine Mojave Desert habitat to K Road Solar LLC, according to an announcement on Tuesday.  Tessera Solar LLC's parent company, Ireland-based NTR, could not afford to build a solar project on the site after receiving approval from the Department of the Interior.  Tessera and NTR announced the sale on the same day that a lawsuit was filed against the Department of the Interior for improperly approving development on the Calico solar site, among 5 other projects. The Calico solar power project site is home to at least 22 desert tortoises, a pocket of rare desert wildflowers known as white-margined beardtongue, Mojave fringe-toed lizards, and other special status species.  Desert tortoise photographed on the Calico Solar power project site.  Photo from the Department of the Interior biological review documents. K Road Solar LLC announced its intent to increase the energy yield on the si

A coalition of Native American and civic groups filed a legal challenge against the Department of the Interior for approving six massive solar power projects in California's desert, alleging that the Department did not conduct adequate environmental reviews and did not properly consult with Native American tribes.  The legal challenge points to several Federal statutes that the Department of the Interior ignored in its "fast track" approval of the solar projects.  The collective intent of the statutes is to ensure that the Federal government fully considers the consequences of its proposed actions -- in this case, providing public land and taxpayer-backed financing to several energy companies so they can build on over 40 square miles of mostly pristine desert habitat and cultural landmarks. The lawsuit challenges the Department of the Interior's review process for the following six solar power projects: BrightSource Energy LLC's Ivanpah Solar Energy Generating

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has completed initial biological surveys of First Solar Inc's proposed "Stateline" solar power project.   The surveys are part of the "Plan of Development," an initial step in the Department of the Interior's process for evaluating and approving projects proposed for public land.   A review of the biological resources survey completed for First Solar's Stateline solar power project reveals a rich ecology on the site consistent with surveys of other nearby project sites, and suggests the public's land in the Ivanpah Valley should be conserved rather than bulldozed. If approved, the Stateline project would destroy 3.4 square miles of pristine Mojave Desert habitat.  The company is also proposing another project next to Joshua Tree National Park, and may invest in other destructive sites. Haven for Desert Icon Although studies of the endangered desert tortoise conducted across the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts sugge