In a move that could pit environmentalists and alternative energy industries against each other, the senator wants hundreds of thousands of acres in California designated as a national monument. Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
Solid, balanced report of varied perspectives on proposed solar/wind power generation site in the California desert, specifically a conflict between renewable energy and environmental protection in a large, remote area of the Mojave Desert in southeast California. Would benefit from additional information about the potential for green energy production, the environmental impacts of establishing and maintaining the generation and transmission infrastructure, and the risks to wildlife and the desert ecology. Related "Measure B" and "Wilderness Protection Bill" links add valuable depth to the report. Of particular interest is the "Measure B" plan to install solar collection panels across Los Angeles, thereby co-locating generation capacity where the end users live. I would also like to see links to analyses of existing solar generation projects in the Mojave high desert, and the large-scale wind generation network in nearby Riverside County.
Feinstein disputed that she is engaged in a not-in-my-backyard campaign. “I’m a strong supporter of renewable energy and clean technology — but it is critical that these projects are built on suitable lands,” she said. The area of concern to Feinstein is between the Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park, off old Route 66 between Ludlow and Needles. The area includes desert tortoise habitat, wildlife corridors, cactus gardens and the Amboy Crater — an inactive volcanic crater where portions of the 1959 movie “Journey to the Center of the Earth” were filmed.
Those not familiar with deserts may find it hard to believe that the desert ecosystem is a fragile treasure, particularly when your vehicle breaks down while driving from Needles to Ludlow California on Route 66. There ARE more remote places in the region—say, Death Valley—but the comparison is relative. For those from urban, suburban, and agricultural areas, the whole region probably seems wasted. Extreme water limitations make the area absolutely unsuited for sustaining development, and the environmental impacts—along with probable inefficiency of long distance transmission lines—lead me to higher hopes for cogeneration in congested areas. Anyone who knows and loves the desert southwest understands in some deep place that there are benefits in leaving wild places wild.
While I believe that the nationwide power grid is an important component in what should become a comprehensive national energy strategy, I also believe that the brightest future options lie in small-scale local cogeneration installations in all possible places. Is it possible that opposition comes from the investor-owned utilities that profit from aging, gigantic scale power networks within their control? If the sun does, indeed, shine equally on the whole planet, more or less, and always for free, and if we can generate a substantial portion of the electricity we use by tapping that sunlight, who will reap the profits? Given the projected growth in demand and the overwhelming opposition to locating future traditional large-scale generating facilities--hydropower dams and reservoirs, coal-fired and nuclear plants--it is time to focus intensive research and development in small-scale local generation and distribution networks. We're going to need them all.