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Environmental Conflict: Desert Tortoise vs. Solar Power
Image Sources: Stock.Xchng and Wikimedia Commons
For decades, perhaps centuries, there has been one great, never-ending battle: the expansion of man and industry vs. the preservation and existence of all other natural life.
What happens when you pit two factions on the same side against one another? Big problems, that’s what. California’s BrightSource Energy company has been pushing for permission to erect 400,000 mirrors on part of the Mojave Desert for a solar-energy project. This project would be the first of its kind on US Bureau of Land Management property. The idea of switching to a renewable energy source is definitely a great thing—unless it interferes with threatened species and that’s where the problem lies.
If the solar-energy complex would be built, it would mean that over 6 square miles of federally threatened desert tortoise habitat would be permanently lost. Environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, agree that the project is a good idea, it’s simply would be built in the wrong place. They are requesting that the site be relocated to another area in order to preserve the home of many rare plants and wildlife.
An area closer to Interstate 15 is the Sierra Club’s relocation site of choice; mainly to avoid any chance of death for the tortoises. This particular interstate is the busy road that connects Los Angeles with Las Vegas. Scientists estimate that at least 25 of the tortoises would need to be captured and moved from their current site, in order to give them a fighting chance. The group also argues that these particular tortoises are the “most genetically distinct” of all Californian desert tortoises, citing a 2007 US Fish and Wildlife Service report that shows the tortoise population has declined in 4 states, including California.
However, BrightSource Energy refuses to back down and wants to construct 3 solar power plants on the site, which would generate enough power combined to power 142,000 homes per year. The project would be built in phases and include: seven 459-foot metal towers, a natural gas pipeline, water tanks, steam turbine generators, boilers and buildings for administration and maintenance. On top of that, each plant would be surrounded by 8-foot high steel fencing. The site in question would also be ideal for the project, as it has a lot of sunshine for most of the year and is near transmission lines that can direct the power to consumers.
In addition to building the structures, there is also a proposal being reviewed that would require BrightSource to capture and move the tortoises to a 12,000 acre area deemed safe for them. This would cost them approximately $25 million, which would be on top of what they’d have to pay for long-term maintenance and the initial land purchase.
They also make a point to note that the tortoise is the only threatened species on the site and that 6.4 million acres across California were already designated as “critical habitat” for the reptile. The particular area of land the company has been petitioning to use is not part of this critical habitat and has been used for other purposes over the years, including livestock grazing and off-road travel.
Keely Wachs, spokesman for BrightSource Energy, pledged that the company “will continue to work with the environmental community to ensure that we establish a good example for projects that follow”.
The final decision on the project and fate of the desert tortoises is not expected to take place for many months. Whatever ends up being decided could foreshadow similar future problems. In other words, environmental disputes like these are not the first or last of their kind. The desire to live a greener, sustainable life will grow and renewable energy sources will need to expand; so the question of the future will change from “is the environment worth saving?” to “which parts are worth saving and at what cost?”.
By Heidi Marshall
Tags: brightsource energy, California, center for biological diversity, desert tortoise, environmental conflict, Mojave desert, renewable energy, sierra club, solar power, threatened species, Wildlife & Flora
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