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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Park Service warns of solar projects' impacts to fragile Mojave Desert |
| 2009-04-23 |
| You mean there's no free lunch? I'm shocked. The National Park Service is worried about environmental consequences of solar proposals on government lands that are administered by the Bureau of Land Management. It says it supports the solar push but is warning against water drawdowns, especially in southern Nevada. In the Amargosa Valley, the endangered, electric-blue pupfish lives in a hot water, aquifer-fed limestone cavern called Devil's Hole. "It is not in the public interest for BLM to approve plans of development for water-cooled solar energy projects in the arid basins of southern Nevada, some of which are already over-appropriated," Jon Jarvis, director of the Park Service's Pacific West Region, wrote to the BLM director in Nevada. Jarvis' e-mail from February, obtained by The Associated Press, noted that the rare pupfish's dwindling numbers prompted Nevada to ban new groundwater allocations within 25 miles of the pool. Jarvis urged the BLM to promote technologies that use less water and hold off on permits until it finishes its assessment of the solar program next year. The BLM tried suspending new applications last year but relented under pressure from industry and advocates of renewable energy. "Water is a big concern and the desert tortoise is a major concern, and the amount of site preparation is a concern," said Linda Resseguie, a BLM project manager. The government in reviewing each project wants to make careful decisions over what it considers "a potentially irreversible commitment of lands," she said. Water is among the complications in deserts where more than 150 solar applications have been submitted for hot spots in Nevada, California, and Arizona, plus a few in New Mexico. Rest at the link. Gotta look out for those pupfish, boys! |
| Posted by:Barbara Skolaut |
| #10 Extra butter, or parmesan, Jan? Or perhaps both? I'm feeling particularly generous tonight. :-D |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-04-23 21:45 |
| #9 kinda reminds me of the spotted owl escapades in Oregon. Fun to see this squabbling over these pupfish and water issues. Where's the popcorn! It might open their minds just a teensy little bit. Good point gromky. |
| Posted by: Jan 2009-04-23 20:04 |
| #8 Pupfish are closely related to Sea Kittens |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-04-23 19:54 |
| #7 Pupfish Boys would be a good name for a band. Pet Shop Boys is pretty close... |
| Posted by: Raj 2009-04-23 19:40 |
| #6 Didn't you just know that this would happen if "green energy" proposals start moving towards reality |
| Posted by: Cheaderhead 2009-04-23 17:04 |
| #5 Gotta look out for those pupfish, boys! Pupfish Boys would be a good name for a band. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2009-04-23 16:36 |
| #4 "Bureaucratic offices will likely be lopped off whole." Soon, I hope, P2k. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-04-23 16:04 |
| #3 Get your fins off me, you damned dirty pupfish! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-23 15:44 |
| #2 The National Park Service is worried about environmental consequences... NPS is not worried about the pending government economic consequences when the debt hits with the SS/Medicare entitlements destroying the national budget. Priorities probably will mean the pupfish might survive but the NPS will be looking at its own version of the desert. The pupfish can eventually be cloned. Bureaucratic offices will likely be lopped off whole. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-04-23 15:35 |
| #1 I hope this makes at least one environmentalist say "that damn pupfish!" It might open their minds just a teensy little bit. |
| Posted by: gromky 2009-04-23 15:01 |