Needles Desert Star: Local

SAN BERNARDINO - With the potential for wind and solar energy projects to spread across the desert, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has approved an agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to work together on environmental reviews of these proposals.

“The BLM has received more than 100 applications for wind and solar projects. These have the potential to change the face of the Mojave Desert forever,” First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt said. “This agreement ensures that the county will have a strong voice in evaluating these proposals.”

Mitzelfelt's district includes Needles and much of the Mojave Desert. A majority of the alternative energy projects are proposed for his district.

The Memorandum of Understanding ensures the county and BLM will work hand-in-hand in drafting joint environmental impact reports under state law and environmental impact statements under federal law.

The projects are mostly on federal public lands but the county also has jurisdiction if they include private land or require county permits. In either case, the county will be a formal partner in sharing information and developing the reviews.

The two primary types of solar projects are photovoltaic, those that convert light energy directly to electricity; and solar thermal, projects that use the sun's energy to create steam and turn a power turbine. The county is the lead agency for large-scale photovoltaic projects. Solar thermal projects that generate more than 50 megawatts are under the jurisdiction of the California Energy Commission. San Bernardino County has been the proving ground for such solar thermal projects with power plants at Daggett and a successful long-running plant at Kramer Junction.

Mitzelfelt and others are concerned that with continuing pressure on desert spaces for habitat protection, expansion of military bases, urban growth and recreation, the proposed power plants will make it more difficult to balance needs.

“These plants take up huge swaths of desert at a time when we're trying to maintain access for people to engage in historical and legitimate uses like camping, mining, ranching and off-highway vehicle recreation, while also trying to help the desert tortoise and other species recover and thrive,” Mitzelfelt said. “Renewable energy is important but we don't want to sacrifice our desert to get there.”