The Mojave Desert—last seen on our virtual pages when the SpaceShipTwo was unveiled—has leapt into the news again today, thanks to Senator Dianne Feinstein's legislation which will stop 13 solar plants and wind turbines from moving in.
It'll certainly be a hindrance to California's plans of generating a third of their electricity from the renewable energy made from the million acres that had been slated for the eco-friendly wind-traps. Feinstein's reason for blocking the move is due to the national monuments which were promised to the area a decade ago, the land having been donated by an environmental group.
Sure, solar farms don't exactly add much to the beautiful scenery of the Mojave Desert, but I remember seeing on a road trip between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe earlier this year the most amazing collection of windmills—I was awed. It'd be a sad day if Feinstein manages to get her legislation passed, but on the other hand, I can very much appreciate wanting to protect such important land. A million acres, though—surely we can come to some sort of compromise? [NYT]
Image Credit: Lassi.Kurkijavi


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