Press reports on Solar scoping meetings

As the news coverage comes in of the public scoping meetings for the Solar Energy Programmatic environmental review process (PEIS) held this week, positions of various factions are beginning to emerge.

The Press-Enterprise, in coverage of the meeting Monday night in Riverside:

Environmentalists on Monday asked two federal agencies assessing the impacts of solar energy proposals across six Western states to make sure they protect the plants, animals and wilderness areas that are already there.

Companies seeking permission to build those plants asked for flexibility. Wayne Hoffman, director of business and development for OptiSolar, which is seeking to build solar farms near Joshua Tree National Park and in the eastern edge of the San Bernardino County desert, asked the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Energy if they will consider allowing some companies to survey protected wildlife areas in the desert to see if they indeed host certain rare animals that might prevent them from building solar projects.

"We know for a fact some of these areas have weak science," he said.

In a separate P-E article:

"Solar projects in particular have a footprint that reduces the habitat suitability for those species; there's the potential for conflict," said Kevin Hunting, deputy director of the California Department of Fish and Game. "It's all about planning and siting, and we believe there's room for both out there."

And the view from Nevada, where 23 applications for solar projects have been received, is aggressively aggrieved, according to the Las Vegas Sun:

[Director of the renewable energy division of Bombard Electric Chris] Brooks and other solar energy insiders said the moratorium [on processing applications while environmental studies are completed], especially coupled with uncertainty in Congress over long-term tax credits for solar development, would discourage solar manufacturers from locating in the Southwest.

“If you delay the process much ... industry might go to another nation,” Brooks said. “If you’re going to make the process more cumbersome in all six states where solar is most viable, there is absolutely no sense in locating manufacturing” in Nevada.

And that means lost potential jobs, according to a solar industry insider who asked to remain anonymous because he must work with the BLM on future projects.

“It’s really bad for the solar industry and it’s really bad for Nevada,” he said. “It means delays in jobs, delays in economic development, increased reliance on natural gas, electric power. What’s the upside?”

MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Energy page of the MBCA Website. Previous blog posts: Energy.