Am I hosed or are you gonna get your s$%t together?
Ug. That’s a mouthful. One of the great challenges in working on conservation is the blizzard of acronyms we deal with. However, the SPEIS–the acronym for the headline above–is probably as simple as its going to get when it comes to siting utility-scale solar projects on public lands.
Our nation’s addiction to fossil fuels has long delayed a transition in the US to a sane energy policy that develops a vibrant, sustainable, and non-polluting renewable energy industry domestically. We understand that the solution is a multifaceted as the sources of climate change. We know that changes across the board—in energy development, planning, distribution, generation, deforestation, and our consumption habits—are necessary to win this fight against climate change. But we also know that a nation that prides itself on innovation and solutions cannot continue to rely on this as the foundation of our energy policy.
At the Nevada Wilderness Project, we understand that action is required on a utility scale to prevent the worst of climate change effects from locking in in the next 10 years or so. While solutions like energy efficiency and rooftop solar are keys to the puzzle, public lands in the US are going to play a central role in the next few years in rolling back the ugly trends of global warming. We believe that its our responsibility to make sure that utility scale power plants on public lands don’t solve one problem—climate change—while creating another: a loss of biodiversity from the footprint of siting and transmission development.
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) has long been the key advocate for Nevada to be one of America’s renewables leaders. This is no small task, for there are massive challenges associated with the transition, challenges that our society has for too long deferred tackling: an antiquated transmission grid, life cycle subsidies and warped tax incentives for fossil fuels that have made renewables cost prohibitive, American’s consumption patterns, and the simple lack of political will. Nevadans are lucky to have someone with his vision, legislative acumen, and commitment developing a thriving renewables industry.
Recently, Senator Reid joined with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to announce a “fast tracking” initiative for solar development on Western public lands. This plan directs federal agencies to accelerate environmental review of 24 areas chosen from six states in the southwest. Seven areas in Nevada are included for expedited review.
We generally felt like the areas chosen in Nevada were appropriate for solar development, and we’ve included some specific recommendations that you can read about here. In particular, we look to work with the administration, Congress, and industry to come up with renewable energy projects that are smart from the start. We think that any new project on public lands will afford opportunities for mitigation, and that in many cases, wildlife habitat can be left in better shape in the wake of development than before development.
