Even if you aren’t a letter-writer, consider writing one to protest this: the Ivanpah Solar Generating System. The deadline is 2 September, so hop to it.
It’s in the desert. The project area is 3582-acres—plus “adjacent habitat”—which is not quantified!
Perhaps that is enough to get you writing!
In another place in the “Presiding Member’s Proposed Decision” (CEC-800-2010-004 PMPD; dated August 2010), the authors note that the area’s the storm water flows would be affected over a 13,900–acre area—natural sheet water flows come across the project area in California west of Las Vegas.
Plus the finished project will have three towers almost 500-feet high (scattered, not clustered). Can be seen pretty much forever in this flat area!
I know many people think the desert is “empty” land, but it isn’t. Just because you don’t see lush trees doesn’t mean that it is “waste land.” Actually, imagine trees there, if you have to, and then think about why they aren’t considering putting this solar system (haha) right smack in wasted land in cities—right by the users, after all—and on land that’s essentially been abandoned. C’mon.
After all, Las Vegas is a few miles away, and grids of roads have already been dozed into the desert there, without the development that speculators had planned. Perfect place for this; these are the people (well, and Southern Californians) that are putting the energy demand load on the system; they should be looking at the consequences of their air conditioning, etc.
IMHO.
Don’t get me started about the Cultural Resources section—which endows construction workers with the responsibility for identifying archaeological resources they may uncover. Hah!
Read the critical document here, or download it from the California Energy Commission here (it’s 9.7 megabytes). Chris Clarke summarizes the reasons for you to write a letter. Even if you don’t live in Arnold’s state.
Like me.