"I am proposing we set the most aggressive target in the nation for renewable energy-33 percent by the year 2020-that's a third of our energy from sources like solar, wind and geothermal," Governor Schwarzenegger said. "But we won't meet that goal doing business as usual, where environmental regulations are holding up environmental progress in some cases. This executive order will clear the red tape for renewable projects and streamline the permitting and siting of new plants and transmission lines. With this investment in renewable energy projects, California has a bright energy future ahead that will help us fight climate change while driving our state's green economy."
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In addition to the EO announced today, the [California Energy Commission], [Department of Fish and Game], U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a coordinated approach with our federal partners in the expedited permitting process. This coordinated approach will significantly reduce the time and expense for developing renewable energy on federally-owned California land, including the priority Mojave and Colorado Desert regions.
According to a related article in The Desert Sun, Twentynine Palms has been identified as a key area for California's wind and solar development in the newly released draft plan of the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative.
Imagine a sea of glass lining the 60-mile stretch of Interstate 10 from the edge of Joshua Tree National Park to Blythe.
That's what's being envisioned in a statewide renewable energy plan that identifies sections of Palm Springs, Twentynine Palms and eastern Riverside County as key for California's solar and wind development.
MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Energy page of the MBCA Website. Previous posts: Energy.
