Feinstein Proposes 2 national monuments in Mojave Desert

According to an article in the LA Times (link below), Senator Dianne Feinstein revealed more details regarding her proposed legislation that would set aside additional Mojave Desert land for conservation as Mojave Trails National Monument and Sand to Snow National Monument.  The legislation would also establish current off-road vehicle areas as permanent.  Feinstein estimated that passage of the legislation would occur in late 2010 at the earliest, and the LA Times noted that the territory would include 19 areas sought after by energy companies for solar and wind development.


Based on the rough map posted with the LA Times article, it's not clear if the Ivanpah or Solar Energy One developments would be impacted by the proposed legislation. Separate legislation on solar energy by the Senator would add incentives for energy companies to consolidate "disturbed land" that is better suited for solar energy since it has less biological value.  Disturbed land is generally harder for energy companies to use, however, because they would have to negotiate with several neighboring land owners to accumulate enough land for their massive developments, which span thousands of acres.  You can read more about  solar energy in the Mojave Desert at other posts in the Archive, as well. More to come...

Feinstein to introduce legislation to establish 2 national monuments in Mojave Desert -- latimes.com

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