Native Americans sue U.S. over solar power plant in desert

Native Americans sue U.S. over solar power plant in desert


Native American tribe has filed a lawsuit against the federal government in an attempt to block construction of Tessera Solar's Imperial Valley solar power plant in the Sonoran Desert.

The 709-megawatt solar farm, planned for more than 6,000 acres of public land near El Centro, wrapped up its approval process in October.

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Tribe tries to stop Imperial Valley solar project

A Native American tribe has sued the federal government in an effort to block construction of a solar project planned on 6,000 acres of public land in the Imperial Valley.
The Los Angeles Times reports Thursday that the Quechan tribe alleges that Tessera Solar's project near El Centro could damage "cultural and biological resources of significance."
In a complaint against the Interior Department, the tribe claimed department officials ignored their concerns and rushed through or skipped permitting steps, violating federal law. The solar farm completed its approval process in October.

Scale back solar plant, county report says

An environmental review of one of two large commercial solar farms proposed for California Valley is recommending that the project’s electrical output be reduced by 40 percent to protect the habitat of the giant kangaroo rat, an endangered species living in the area.

The solar company proposing the plant will ask the county to accept a different configuration of the project that it says protects the kangaroo rat but keeps electrical output at its original level.
This week, the county Planning Department released a draft environmental impact report for the California Valley Solar Ranch, a 250-megawatt photovoltaic plant proposed by SunPower Corp. of Richmond.

The solar company SunPower is planning to establish an endangered species conservation area at its proposed 250-megawatt photovoltaic plant in California Valley.

Under the plan, the company would establish a conservation easement on more than 1,000 acres as well as an endowment that would fund preservation activities to protect the giant kangaroo rat and other rare species found in the area, said Brian Boroski, a wildlife ecologist hired by SunPower to set up the conservation area.

“The easement will be in place and the endowment funded before construction,” Boroski said.


Cities and the county should do more to promote solar power and make buildings energy-efficient, which would reduce energy costs and create jobs, the county’s civil grand jury has concluded.
A report by the grand jury urges local governments in the county to invest in solar power — rooftop panels in particular — and energy efficiency.
“To make these gains locally will take a lot more than talk, however,” the report concluded. “Bold leadership is a must.”

But the Quechan tribe alleged in a complaint against the Interior Department that the installation could damage "cultural and biological resources of significance."

The tribe said that department officials ignored Quechan concerns and rushed through or skipped important permitting steps, violating federal law.

State and federal agencies have fast-tracked several major solar projects, aiming to break ground by the end of the year to take advantage of expiring federal stimulus funds.

More than 28,000 SunCatcher solar dishes intended for the site could harm a region known for the flat-tailed horned lizard, which plays a key role in the tribe's creation mythology, the complaint said.

Tessera, which is also moving ahead on a similar installation near Barstow, has agreed to buy 6,600 acres of lizard habitat to offset its activity on the Imperial Valley project.

In a region that has been economically hard hit, the project is expected to create up to 700 jobs during construction along with 160 permanent operation positions.

The Quechan tribe, which has about 3,500 members, is asking a federal judge in San Diego to issue an injunction against the project. For thousands of years, the tribe has lived on a broad sweep of desert crossing from Arizona into Southern California, according to the complaint.

Tessera now joins BrightSource, SunPower and other solar energy companies that have been stymied, if only temporarily, by wildlife concerns on proposed solar farm sites.

The tribe said that department officials ignored Quechan concerns and rushed through or skipped important permitting steps, violating federal law.

The Energy Commission is the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has a certified regulatory program under CEQA. Under its certified program, the Energy Commission is exempt from having to prepare an environmental impact report. Its certified program, however, does require environmental analysis of the project, including an analysis of alternatives and mitigation measures to minimize any significant adverse effect the project may have on the environment.