On December 27, 2010, the La Cuna de Aztlan Sacred Sites Protection Circle filed suit in U.S. District Court to challenge the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) permitting process for large solar projects. In the suit, the Native American organization also requests a temporary restraining order against the construction of five large concentrating solar power (CSP) projects and a solar photovoltaic (PV) plant recently approved by the BLM in Southern California.

"Rather than be smart from the start by utilizing ecologically degraded sites first, a reckless and scientifically unmerited decision has been made to instead race into our most pristine desert and obliterate some of the most botanically significant lands in California," states University of California Riverside Botanist Dr. Jim Andre in a press statement by the plaintiff. "This scale of an impact has never occurred before."

Projects challenged total 3.04GW

The projects named in the lawsuit include the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, the Blythe Solar Power Project, the Imperial Valley Solar Project, the Chevron Lucerne Valley Solar Project, the Calico Solar Project and Genesis Solar Energy Project. The Chevron Lucerne project is a PV plant and the other five are CSP projects. Together, the six projects have a total capacity of 3.04GW.

According to La Cuna de Aztlan, collectively these projects would grade and develop 23,800 acres of "pristine" desert lands, which are classified as "limited use" under the California Desert Conservation Area Plan.

Basis of suit lack of adequate consultation

La Cuna de Aztlan claims that the BLM failed to adequately consult the organization during the permitting process. La Cuna states that it has an agreement with the BLM for the two organizations to work together to protect Native American sacred sites and cultural resources.

A group calling itself Californians for Renewable Energy (CARE) has joined La Cuna De Aztlan in the suit, stating opposition to both the location and the technology. CARE regularly participates in various legal and regulatory challenges to large renewable energy projects, arguing against large power projects in favor of distributed generation.

BLM officials did not return Solar Server calls by our press deadline, and CSP project developers were likewise either unavailable or unprepared to comment.

2010-12-30| Courtesy: FBP LLC; Foto: Lundahl | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

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