Threshold Number of ESA Protected Desert Tortoise Killed In Construction of Solar Thermal Plant
We just received notice that the BLM has suspended construction of some of the the Ivanpah Solar Thermal Power Plant due to the project reaching its upper limit number of tortoise killed for the Biological Opinion and incidental take limits established in approving the project.
BLM halts some construction at Ivanpah Power Plant – Decision
Brian Ertz
Brian Ertz serves as media director for Western Watersheds Project. All Posts by Brian Ertz | Facebook | Email
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How much clearer could it be that this is a bad idea if the plant construction has already killed the supposed “safe” number of tortoises. I swear…the best favor we could do Nature from the planet’s perspective is just go extinct…
Where does this damn insanity stop?
“The optimum human population of earth is zero”
Dave Foreman
It doesn’t seem like to much of a stretch to assume that if you were driving one of those “brush hogs”, it would be fairly easy to not notice a tortoise until it was too late. Not to mention the other types of machinery likely to be milling around.
The equipment operators do not care about the damage they do Daniel. In fact just the opposite. While hiking in Grand Gulch (Utah) a group of buddies and myself watched in horror as a piece of BLM ground was chained with the operator smiling so big I thought his brittle, sun ravaged face would crack. Either brave or stupid, I’d say. 5 of us. 1 of him. Out in the middle of nowhere. Long before any hand helds or cell phones. Wish I had that day to do over again!
I met with my Congressmen Jared Polis (Colorado) let summer and let him know that while I strongly supported alternative energy development, that I thought solar gardens & windmills could be damaging to wildlife and asked that some legislation be inacted to encourage responsible development from the start rather than hindsight. He flat out scoffed at me and said “NO”.
Of course not. He’d probably made some insiders deal on stock or contribution promises or both. Solar is a terrific idea but should be implimented on an individual basis. If homeowners knew how simple a basic photovoltaic system was to install they’d know better than to sign up for just one more Goliath utility promise.
We have solar panels on the South facing side of our roof, we are actually putting energy back on to the grid even in the winter months.