BLM suspends moratorium on solar applications

The rush to industrialize the Mojave with solar plants ("Big Solar") was much in the national news this week as the energy crisis deepened.

The Bureau of Land Management, after announcing last month that it would temporarily stop accepting applications for solar plants until it completed an environmental study it estimated to take up to two years, has caved to pressure and re-commenced accepting applications "in response to public interest in solar energy development."

The BLM will process these applications, while continuing to identify issues during public scoping currently underway for the programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS).

"We heard the concerns expressed during the scoping period about waiting to consider new applications," said BLM Director James Caswell, "and we are taking action. By continuing to accept and process new applications for solar energy projects, we will aggressively help meet growing interest in renewable energy sources, while ensuring environmental protections."

The condemnation of the moratorium had been intense, with ignorance of the biological importance of the territories of the Mojave and a dismissal of desert lands as having any intrinsic value rife among public and industry alike. New players also don't seem to be familiar with the rules: It appears many of the firms proposing solar facilities are financial firms and others not usually in the business of siting utility operations on federal lands and are outraged that long-standing environmental regulations may interfere with their desire to swiftly satisfy their stockholders. Per Reuters:

Fred Morse, senior advisor for U.S. operations at Abengoa Solar, a Spanish company with a solar plant in development in Arizona, said the moratorium could hurt many companies in the burgeoning U.S. industry.

Companies could face hefty fines if they don't deliver on previously signed agreements to supply power, and a blanket freeze on the industry is a mistake, he said.

The desert and its communities are faced with an immense challenge as panicked citizens and opportunistic investors rush to exploit the Mojave. The Desert Protective Council has asked for an additional public scoping meeting on the PEIS, and this has been scheduled for El Centro on Thursday, July 10. Read more about the issue and DPC's efforts on their blog. Read the BLM Press Release regarding the meeting and how to participate here.


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