Wind turbines installed in 2012 outside Ocotillo on federal property managed by the Bureau of Land Management. — John Gibbins
Hundreds of square miles of Southern California desert, both public and privately owned, could be targeted for renewable energy development under a comprehensive plan balancing state clean-power mandates with efforts to conserve wild habitat.
State and federal officials are currently providing a sneak preview of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan that's designed to speed the development of large-scale solar, wind and geothermal plants with the least possible environmental impact.
“The whole concept under that plan is to provide for renewable development while ensuring that the population of native plant and animals within that area are still going to be conserved over the long term,” explained Jane Hendron, spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, one of four government agencies leading the effort.
It’s an area roughly the size of Indiana or Maine.The plan would cover portions of eastern San Diego County and stretch across much of Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Developers who follow the agreed-upon provisions would enjoy greater assurances when conflicts arise with a list of sensitive desert species.
The list, now 73-species long, already is a point of contention among scientists and stakeholders. Only the California Condor is considered untouchable.
Several national environmental groups and the Environmental Protection Agency support the plan’s general approach over the current patchwork of land use and environmental regulations guiding the state’s renewable energy boom.
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