#drecp

Excerpt from this story from the Desert Sun:

There are woodlands in California's harsh desert — palo verde, ironwood and smoke trees that endure fierce heat and little rain by soaking up water from washes that quickly fill during monsoonal storms. Lumbering desert tortoises rely on the same wet washes to eat and mate before burrowing back underground. Rivers of sand provide important habitat for Mojave fringe-toed lizards and other species.

Critics are keeping an eagle eye on those "microphyll" or “small-leaved” woodlands and sandy wildlife corridors, as well as the species that depend on them, as federal officials ramp up plans for huge new solar farms on public lands off Interstate 10 in the dry southeastern portion of the state.

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and top U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials on Tuesday announced approval of two new solar projects, Arica and Victory Pass, in eastern Riverside County, and said a third nearby, Oberon, will be approved soon. Together, the three photovoltaic solar panel projects could produce nearly one gigawatt of power and provide electricity for nearly 300,000 homes. Federal officials are pushing to meet a mandate from President Joe Biden and Congress to produce 25 gigawatts of power by 2025. There are currently about 12 gigawatts in operation.

The newly approved California projects are the first on public lands to move forward under the 22.5 million-acre Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. Critics fear that plan, which covers seven counties, could be undermined if the Oberon project is approved as designed. Company officials dispute that, and federal officials say they are firmly committed to the desert renewable plan's success.

While all three of the new solar developments would require some destruction of habitat and even possible "take" or killing of desert tortoises in exchange for land set-asides elsewhere, the Oberon project has been strongly opposed by a coalition of environmental groups.

Its developers are seeking to build a 500-megawatt project on acreage originally designated for 300 megawatts in the sweeping plan. Active discussions about the project are underway between some of the groups and representatives of Interconnect Power, the Oberon project developer. Federal officials said they expect an agreement to be reached by the new year.

Excerpt from this story from the Desert Sun:

The Bureau of Land Management is moving forward with renewable development in the desert this month, including issuing final construction approval for the Oberon solar project on about 2,600 acres near Interstate 10 in eastern Riverside County, and greenlighting a major transmission line from western Arizona to Blythe, California to help carry more power.

Both actions are part of a push by the Biden Administration to significantly ramp up renewables development in the southwest.

The BLM Palm Springs office on July 13 announced it had authorized a subsidiary of Intersect Power to build the 500 megawatt Oberon renewable energy project, enough to power approximately 146,000 homes and 200 megawatts of battery storage.

“This solar project is the third project approved for full construction under the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan and an example of how public land in California plays a big role in achieving the Biden-Harris administration’s goal to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035,” Karen Mouritsen, BLM California State director, said in a statement. “The BLM is committed to responsible renewable energy development that balances conservation and utilization of public land.”

The Ten West transmission line, approved by BLM in Arizona and announced the next day, authorizes Delaney Colorado River Transmission to begin construction of a 125-mile, 500-kilovolt transmission line that will connect existing substations near Tonopah, Arizona and Blythe.

The federal agency used a streamlined permitting process for the major power line project, though it did make changes to the path in response to public comment, including routing it away from Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and requiring development of a plan by the California office to avoid damage to a small desert plant, Harwood’s eriastrum, also known as Harwood's woollystar, "to the maximum extent practical."

Excerpt from this press release from the Department of the Interior:

The Department of the Interior today announced that the Palen Solar Project, a 457-megawatt photovoltaic facility in Riverside County, California, has reached full power operation. The project — which will supply enough energy to power approximately 116,000 homes and includes 50 megawatts of battery storage — represents another major step forward in the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to lower costs for families and create a clean energy, carbon-free future.

“Bringing another solar project to full operation on our public lands will accelerate our nation’s transition to a clean energy economy by unlocking renewable resources, creating jobs, lowering costs, and boosting local economies,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “The Interior Department will continue to advance the sustainable development of clean energy in order to help meet the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035.”

The Palen Solar Project is in an area analyzed and identified as suitable for renewable energy development as part of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Land Use Plan Amendment. The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) is a landscape-level plan focused on 10.8 million acres of public lands in the desert regions of seven California counties that streamlines renewable energy development while conserving unique and valuable desert ecosystems and providing outdoor recreation opportunities.

Excerpt from this story from the Desert Sun:

In his term's 11th hour, then-President Donald Trump took aim at the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan and began a rollback of key conservation protections in the framework that aims to balance clean energy and conservation on federal land in the Southern California desert. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden's administration announced it will halt that action, leaving the original plan intact.

TheTrump administration's proposed changes would have resulted inat leasta 1.5-million-acre reduction in lands designated as "areas of critical environmental concern." They also would have modified or eliminated 68 "conservation and management actions," which set rules for development in the desert.

The Bureau of Land Management had said the changes proposed by the Trump administration would put more than 800,000 acres of desert back on the table for renewables. The California Wind Energy Association was working with the BLM to determine if any high-quality wind resource areas were included in that acreage, but that analysis was not completed, according to the trade group.

The plan, known as DCREP, covers 10.8 million acres in the Mojave and Colorado deserts — extending from the border north through Death Valley — and was completed in 2016 after eight years of negotiations and more than 16,000 public comments. It faced no lawsuits when it was completed, a rarity in the environmental planning world.

Here’s another in the malignant, last-minute drive to mess with a local environment as the moving vans approach the white house. It will stop only when we get to 12:00 noon Eastern time on January 20. This is a proposal, so it raises no immediate worries, and be abandoned by the Biden administration.

Excerpt from this story from US News & World Report:

The trump administration on Wednesday proposed weakening environmental protections for millions of acres of California desert, allowing more room for wind and solar energy projects, mining, and broadband infrastructure.

The move is the latest in a string of last-minute proposals from the outgoing administration to accelerate development on public lands, and would amend an effort, hatched jointly with the state of California during the presidency of Barack Obama, that set aside areas for renewable energy development.

Wind and solar developers never embraced the Obama-era strategy because they said it left millions of acres off-limits to their projects.

The U.S. Department of Interior said in a notice that its recommended changes would reduce so-called Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, lands that require special protection, by 1.8 million acres and trim California Desert National Conservation Lands, which are closed to energy development, by 2.2 million acres.

An Interior official said in a statement that the changes were needed for California to meet its goal to phase out the use of fossil fuels. The state aims to source electricity from only carbon-free sources by 2045 as part of a sweeping plan to tackle climate change.

"Large expanses of desert landscape will be needed to bring alternatives online to avoid blackouts and new constraints on the grid," Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Casey Hammond said in a statement.

The department's Bureau of Land Management will accept public comments on the plan for 90 days, it said.

Excerpt from this story from E&E News:

The Bureau of Land Management has authorized construction to begin on the third of three large-scale solar power projects inside a California renewable energy zone.

The 500-megawatt Oberon solar project would cover about 2,600 acres inside the 22.5-million-acre Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area and have the capacity to power about 146,000 homes. The project includes a battery storage system of up to 200 MW.

BLM earlier this year formally approved issuing a right-of-way permit for the project (Greenwire, Jan. 18).

The agency last year approved the first two large-scale solar power projects in the area — the Arica and Victory Pass photovoltaic solar projects covering 1,300 acres and with a collective capacity to produce up to 465 MW of electricity (E&E News PM, Dec. 21, 2021).

BLM last month said work could proceed on the solar projects (E&E News PM, June 13).

Excerpt from this story from Politico/E&E News:

The Bureau of Land Management has approved construction work to begin on two commercial-scale solar power projects that would be the first to be built inside an Obama-era renewable energy zone in the Southern California desert.

If built, the Arica and Victory Pass photovoltaic solar power projects would cover a total of 1,300 acres of federal lands and collectively produce up to 465 megawatts of electricity — enough to power more than 130,000 homes.

BLM approved right-of-way permits for both projects last year following a lengthy environmental review (E&E News PM, Dec. 21, 2021).

Excerpt:

It looks like a barren no man's land, but the vast desert outside Indio, Calif., has many suitors.

Conservationists see its acres of creosote bush and cholla cactus as a rare habitat for tortoises, pronghorn antelope and an elusive variety of mule deer. Energy companies view its sunbaked plains and windswept ridgelines as prime perches for solar panels and wind turbines. Dirt tracks that wiggle across its sandy washes are testament to its popularity among off-road motorsports enthusiasts.

Until last year, all parties had reached something of an accord. Obama-era rules ensured that portions of California's sunniest public lands would be reserved for conservation; other parts set aside for large-scale solar, wind and geothermal development and mining; and other sections designated for recreation.

But that delicate peace among competing interests could be upended.

In a stunning reversal, President Trump one year ago ordered the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to reopen study of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan and consider shrinking the areas it protects and expanding lands available for solar, wind, broadband infrastructure, mining, off-road vehicles and grazing.

Now, stakeholders are once again vying for control of some of the most sensitive and sought-after lands in the state — and the winners could determine whether California's deserts become a hub for energy production at the expense of their unique plants and animals.

"Hornets are swarming because someone in Washington poked a hive in the California desert with a stick," Greg Suba, conservation director for the California Native Plant Society, said. "We were making progress in striking a balance between development and conservation. Now, we're spending all our time, energy and resources on dealing with chaos where there wasn't any just a little while ago. It's such a waste."

The Obama administration spent eight years and considered more than 14,000 public comments in developing its plan for wind and solar projects and conservation. Unveiled in 2016, it set aside 3.9 million acres to be permanently protected, including the Silurian Valley and the Chuckwalla Bench. Another 1.4 million acres were designated areas of critical environmental concern. And 388,000 acres were designated appropriate for commercial-scale renewable energy projects.

Trump's executive order directs the Bureau of Land Management to review all actions that could "potentially burden the development or use of domestically produced energy resources" on public lands. A subsequent executive order, issued in January, directs the bureau to foster rural broadband infrastructure projects in the areas.

Though the Obama plan had its critics, including green energy advocates who wanted more available land for development, the downright angry mood at ongoing public meetings intended to solicit comments on Trump's action suggests a thorny path ahead for the BLM.